Walcott eager to perform for Capello
Following his exclusion from England's 2010 World Cup squad, Arsenal midfielder Theo Walcott has said he is determined to ensure he is not left out of another major tournament.
Walcott's form for Arsenal was inconsistent during the 2009-2010 season, leading England manager Fabio Capello to leave him out of the squad that travelled to South Africa.
Many were surprised at Capello's decision, as it was Walcott's hat-trick that earned the Italian one of his first competitive victories for England away to Croatia in 2008.
But Walcott has said that he holds no grudges against Capello for the exclusion.
"I didn't point fingers at anyone, I just looked at myself. I didn't want to blame anyone but myself and to make sure it didn't happen again," he said at a press conference ahead of England's encounter with Bulgaria on Friday.
"I just wanted to work hard on the training pitch but I didn't want to think about it too much. You want to give yourself a bit of a mental break."
Walcott among the goals for Arsenal
The 21-year-old has been in impressive form for Arsenal in the opening stages of the Premier League, netting four goals in three games, including a hat-trick against Blackpool.
His convincing performances led to Capello calling Walcott up for England's two first qualifying matches in Group G, the second coming against Switzerland in Basel a week from today.
After England's disappointing World Cup campaign, Capello came under criticism for not including enough young players in his ageing team.
Walcott was one of the players the manager's critics had in mind, but despite Capello's alleged lack of confidence in the winger, Walcott remains respectful of his national team manager.
"We know the message [Capello] wants to get through to the players... We want to try and do it for him as he has tremendous faith in us all."
Tags: