WTTGT Writer: Vivek Arulnathan (Site editor)
After a relatively successful year where he scored and assisted aplenty, Theo Walcott has already set himself a target of bettering his 2011 performances this time around.
He has frustrated Arsenal fans in the past few matches with his erratic finishing and lack of final ball but that doesn’t take away the fact that 2011 was his best year at Arsenal, a proof of his maturity and growth.
Speaking to Arsenal.com, the official club website, Walcott said,
“I had quite a good scoring year in 2011 with a lot of assists, which I’m happy with.”
“This season I think I need to get in among the goals a bit more maybe – I only have four. But I’m happy if the team’s winning and I’m getting assists for the main man up front. I’m doing my job and you have to be effective going forward. That’s what I’ve been doing so far.”
The 23 year old England international also underlined his desire to win that elusive trophy in the red and white of Arsenal.
“I think we’ve had so much experience of almost getting there – Quarter-Finals, the Final of the Carling Cup for example – and we just want a bit more,” he said.
“We obviously want to win the Premier League, we want to win every competition we enter. It’s been a long time since we won something and for me personally, I want to win even more now as well.
“Fingers crossed we can all stay fit, which is quite important. In seasons before we’ve had a lot of injuries that have stuttered us slightly and that doesn’t help the team. But it’s a squad thing, and the important thing is that we keep a lot of players fit.”
Walcott had a great year in 2011, there is no doubt about it. While he still has a lot to improve, he has started to influence games more consistently (not the last couple of matches!) and has also learned to use his pace wisely.
If there is anything Walcott needs to work on, it is his decision making and crossing. Unless he shows consistency in finishing and final balls, he’ll never get to play as a striker. Also, he can’t beat every defender by just using his pace so he needs to try and work on other options when up against good full backs. Sometimes just a simple pass or holding up the ball to create space for others will appear more effective than just raw pace.
He has provided several assists to Van Persie this season but his delivery into the box needs more consistency. There is clearly a marked improvement and I am happy about it but if he puts in a few extra hours into training, he has all the attributes to be a world class player.
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We have a minimum of 21 matches left theo should be setting himself a target of 15 for the season as should gervinho. im not sure at the moment where any other goals are comjng from other than rvp. if we want to finish top 4 and lift a cup there has to be a massive improvement from every position and a sustaining of performance levels from whoever is playing centre forward.
The headline should read: Walcott Targets a Goal in 2012. Baby steps.