When Theo Walcott had got injured and had been sidelined for the rest of the season at the start of this year, very few people would have thought that it would take the sting out of Arsenal. Yes, it was believed to be a big blow, but, not a season changing blow, that’s for sure, but, it did have a big impact on the performances of the Gunners. They completely lost their way.
The thing with Walcott is that he is quite versatile. He can play on the wings and also, as a main striker and his speed is as good as anybody else in the world. But, the same can’t be said about the other Arsenal strikers. Let’s talk about Olivier Giroud which has been playing upfront regularly of late for the Gunners. He is someone who is lot slower than Walcott. Yes, he has a good height and thus, he is a threat in air, but, on the ground, he is not that efficient.
And, unfortunately, after that Walcott blow, Arsenal’s main weapon Mesut Ozil has lost his rhythm too. He was going great guns in the first half of the season, but, in this half, he hasn’t been able to dominate and that has made the team miss Walcott even more.
When 2014 started, Arsenal was one of the top contenders to lift the league trophy, but, within 4 months, they are out of the race. The best they can do from here is to qualify for the Champions League. Even that is looking difficult at the moment.
People can blame the boss Arsene Wenger here as well. They can say that he should have had another player ready on the bench for somebody like Walcott, but, the reality is that it’s not easy to replace an impact player.
