Arsenal: Why Arsene Wenger needs to Sort out the Theo Walcott Problem for Gunners to Flourish

 
Arsenal have had one of their roughest weeks of this season having been eliminated from the FA Cup and also, outclassed at home by a superior team in Bayern Munich. Thankfully for Arsene Wenger, his team were spared more blushes against relegation battlers Aston Villa largely due to an inspiring performance from Santi Cazorla. The midfielder has been brilliant for the Gunners on many occasions this season but at times has also been anonymous or looked jaded in some of the games. Fortunately for Arsenal, he was in rousing form from the start of the game against Aston Villa, scoring just after 5 minutes and proving to be a threat throughout the game ultimately also scoring the winner.

It was interesting that Wenger opted to play him on the left instead of Germany international Lukas Podolski and it was Jack Wilshere who was playing in an advanced central midfield role. Wenger has shown a preference towards playing central attacking midfielders on the left flank in the past with Yossi Benayoun, Tomas Rosicky, Andrei Arshavin and Samir Nasri, all of whom are comfortable either on the wings or in a central role. With Cazorla playing on the left flank, it provides the Gunners more opportunity to establish their dominance in central midfield with the Spaniard often filling the space whenever Wilshere drifts to the flank or goes deeper to fetch the ball, thus providing an outlet for the left-footed talented midfielder.

The good thing about Cazorla playing on the wing is that despite drifting infield on several occasions, he did not neglect his defensive duties and provided decent cover to Nacho Monreal who was not having the best of games defensively. The duo have previously played together on the left at Malaga and do share a good understanding which was shown in the second goal scored by the talented Spaniard. However, this has not always been the case on the other flank which is the main point of discussion in this article.

Theo Walcott has had an impressive season by any standards, scoring 18 goals in all competitions this season and also having 11 assists to his name. He has been one of the best players this season but he also presents a problem which has to be solved by Arsene Wenger. Amidst fear of losing the promising England international on a free transfer, the Frenchman convinced the former Southampton forward by playing him in his favoured role as a central striker. Though he had a superb game against Newcastle United when he played as a central striker, he has not been entirely convincing with subdued performances against the likes of Southampton, Wigan (though he won the penalty), Manchester City and recently against Bayern Munich.

With his pace and movement off the ball, Walcott can get behind any defense in the world if the midfielders can thread a ball through the defense. However, with Arsenal playing a 4-2-3-1 formation or a variation of the 4-3-3 formation, if he plays in a central role, it is likely that he will be the lone striker. Defenders are aware of Walcott's electric pace and are not likely to step up or play a high line against him. The centre backs are more likely to keep a watch on him as well as the passes that help him breach the defense. Also, Walcott's runs off the ball when he has played as the central striker have lacked variety and his hold-up play also needs to improve. However, despite him needing to work on his game to develop into a lethal central striker in the mould of a Thierry Henry, he still provides a decent option as a second/third choice striker.

The bigger problem has been when Walcott has been used as a winger/wide forward in recent games, especially since signing his new contract. Wenger does not restrict the freedom of his attackers and all the attacking players are provided the license to drift infield or move outside and find space, which helps add variety to their play. The likes of Walcott and Podolski have scored plenty of goals making diagonal or central runs which have not been picked by the opposition. However, the wide forwards are still primarily wingers, who are given the license to make diagonal runs whenever appropriate which helps them score goals as well.

In recent games, Walcott has been drifting far too much inside, almost making it a skewed 4-4-2 with Bacary Sagna, left to take care of the right flank on his own. The French defender has been one of the best defenders for the Gunners but has unfortunately, suffered a dip in form this season and has also not been helped by Walcott's tendency to drift inside too much. Playing on the right wing, Walcott has not provided enough defensive cover to the right back which has resulted in many of the opposition's attacks down that side of the pitch, though Gibbs' impressive performances has also resulted in that happening.

Also, in a attacking context, though Walcott moving into central role to receive Giroud flick-ons is understandable, his off-the-ball runs are questionable with him mainly making a move towards the centre and not on the outside mostly. If he makes runs on the outside of the opponent's left back, it provides both the midfielders as well as Sagna an outlet which they have lacked at times. The model Walcott should be looking at is some of his own perfromances from last season where his runs enabled not only him to score goals but also allowed him to make several crucial assists to Robin Van Persie.

It is clear that Olivier Giroud is an intelligent striker who thrives on good understanding between forward players and Walcott needs to adapt to get the best out of both of them. Giroud's neat flicks and hold up play means Walcott can get goalscoring opportunities like the one he scored against Liverpool. Also, Walcott has assisted number of goals for Giroud and can continue to do so regularly. Theo Walcott looks to be committed to the cause and though his infield runs are designed to help him score more, it might be to the benefit of the team if he works on his all round game as a wide forward.

Wenger has been instrumental in developing many aspects of Walcott's game and from a raw youngster, who had poor decision making skills, he has developed into a lethal forward possessing the intelligence and the weapons to trouble the best of defenses. He is at a stage in his career where he is desperate to prove that he can play as a central striker. However, the experienced French manager must convince him to continue playing his natural game as winger till the transition to that of a central striker eventually happens.

With the game against Spurs coming up, it is even more important that this topic is brought up with Gareth Bale in the best form of his life. Walcott will need to show his defensive qualities and must show that he can be a match-winner in the big games. It will be an interesting challenge for the former Southampton lad but one he will be looking forward to especially after scoring three goals in the last two league appearances against Spurs.

Arsenal FC vs Schalke Preview: Will the Gunners show their Mental Strength against Schalke?

Arsene Wenger has almost always made it a point to mention his team's mental resilience whenever they have managed to grind their way out of a tough situation. The game against Schalke at the Emirates will demonstrate just how much mental strength that the Gunners have to bounce back from that disappointing defeat against Norwich City. It was a flat performance from Arsenal and in truth, they looked far from a side looking to challenge for the title. But as is the case with football, a couple of weeks could really change things which is what Wenger will be hoping looking towards the game against Schalke. The French manager will be looking from the stands, serving his touchline ban and will expect his team to perform up to the required standard against a very good Schalke team.

The Bundesliga side beat champions Borussia Dortmund in the weekend and look like genuine title challengers this season. With players like Klaas Jan-Huntelaar, Lewis Holtby and Ibrahim Afellay in their ranks, there is no reason why they cannot sustain their good form should they keep their main players fit for most of the season. They will provide a serious threat to the Arsenal defense, who will have to be at their best to not let Schalke have many opportunities. Huntelaar is a player who is a perfect "fox-in-the-box" sort of striker and is not likely to pass up good opportunities to score and he has got some good players like Afellay, Farfan and Holtby who will support him well.

For Arsenal, the good news is that Laurent Koscielny is fit enough to come back to the squad but the question is whether or not he will be in the starting line-up. Per Mertesacker has done very well this season and if fit, he is most likely to start. Thomas Vermaelen does make mistakes at times and though he is a very good player, it has to be said that the decision to make him the captain of this Arsenal side is questionable considering that Koscielny could be considered a serious contender for his place in the starting line-up. The French international was arguably Arsenal's best defender in the last season and though he had a poor game against Chelsea, he deserves another chance to have a decent run in the side. Mikel Arteta would have been a more appropriate choice to be named as captain considering that he has the leadership skills and is also extremely consistent on the pitch.

Wenger has made his choice though and will have to stick with Vermaelen and Mertesacker as his first choice defensive pair because Koscielny and Vermaelen as a partnership does not look to be  too stable. With Huntelaar leading the line, he will cause plenty of problems for Arsenal and Mertesacker and Vermaelen will have a tough task to keep him quiet. With Gibbs not likely to feature against Schalke due to injury, Andre Santos is likely to be entrusted with the duty of stopping the supply of crosses from the right flank. Carl Jenkinson has been very impressive this season and will start again against Schalke but with him more or less a regular member of the side now, he has to also improve on his attacking duties and deliver more accurate crosses from the right for the Gunners. With Olivier Giroud leading the line for the Gunners, Jenkinson's crosses could be important in adding another dimension to their play.

In midfield, Aaron Ramsey could make way for Francis Coquelin, who deserves a chance considering that he has played well whenever given the opportunity to do so. The Welsh international had a woeful game against Norwich and needs to be benched for maybe a couple of matches unless he improves on his standard of performance. Arteta can be very influential further up the pitch as well considering that he and Cazorla do share an excellent understanding and the Spaniards have the capability of breaking down defenses with their vision and creativity. Jack Wilshere is not likely to make the squad having played the entire U-21 game against Everton on Monday but is likely to be on the bench for the game against QPR. His return to fitness is a timely boost for the Gunners, who have got a number of first team players out through injury.

With both Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain out for the game against Schalke, there are not many options left for Arsene Wenger other than to continue playing Gervinho out wide with Giroud leading the line. Gervinho does not look at his best on the right wing and did have a very poor game against Norwich City. Lukas Podolski will continue to start on the left flank and the German international who will be facing familiar opposition will be looking to make an impact. With  Arsenal no longer having Robin van Persie to rely on for the goals, all the attacking players will have to step up and perform at their best if they want to seriously challenge for trophies this season.

It is a difficult task for the Gunners to defeat Schalke but a win will give them huge impetus after their defeat and importantly would put them in pole position to qualify as the Group toppers. It will allow them breathing space at the top of the table and will be a huge relief for Arsenal. It will not be a easy task but Wenger will be looking for a positive reaction from the defeat against Norwich City. Arsenal's mental strength will be put to the test on Wednesday against a tough team in front of a crowd who will be anxious right from the start. It is up to the team to show their quality and prove that the defeat against Norwich was just a one-off game. With plenty of important games coming in quickly from now till the end of the year, it is of vital importance that Arsenal beat Schalke and establish their position as the Group B leaders in the Champions League.

Arsenal Transfer Prospects: 6 Strikers whom Arsene Wenger Can Target in the Summer

Arsene Wenger's time at Arsenal could come to an unsuccessful end if the Gunners fail to end their trophy drought in the near future and the French tactician will try to bring in some quality players in this year's transfer window. he has spoken of the need to retain their players and build on it by signing quality players.

However, Wenger has often been reluctant to spend the money required to acquire big name signings but this is the crunch time for one of Arsenal's best ever managers and he could opt to spend more money this year. It is important that he brings in some quality players and he has admitted that he is looking to strengthen every position.

Robin van Persie is a superb striker with excellent vision, technique and movement but he does spend a lot of time on the treatment table which has meant that the Gunners have had to cope with his absence in a number of matches. Marouane Chamakh impressed in the first half of the season but has been in poor form since the return of Van Persie while Nicklas Bendtner is likely to move on after being played out of position for most of the season.

This article is on six quality strikers that Wenger could target in the summer to bolster the attacking options at Arsenal.


1. Kevin Gameiro


The Lorient striker has been prolific for the French side which has led to him being tracked by a number of clubs around the world. His pace and intelligent movement has enabled him to score goals and be successful in the French league. He has only one year left on his contract and the club would not want to lose the striker on a free transfer.

Gameiro can play on wither wing and in his favoured role as the centre forward and his versatility could be important for the Gunners. However, he is only 5' 7" and could struggle with the physicality of the Premiership. Arsenal are one of the teams tracking the striker but will have to beat the competition from the likes of Valencia, Tottenham and a number of other clubs.

2. Karim Benzema

The French forward has had an excellent second half of the season at Real Madrid but he has not received as much playing time as he would have liked since the return to fitness of Gonzalo Higuain and the signing of Emmanuel Adebayor. The forward has attracted the interest of many top clubs including the likes of Arsenal and Juventus.


If Jose Mourinho signs another striker( and there are rumours on Real Madrid signing either Carlos Tevez or Didier Drogba), it is likely that Benzema will be open to a move away from Madrid. However, Real Madrid will have a high valuation of Benzema and Arsene Wenger will have to spend big to acquire his services.

3. Bojan Krkic

Bojan Krkic has been one of the highly rated players to emerge from the La Masia academy and has made over 150 appearances for the Catalan club. The Barcelona striker can play on the wings as well though his favoured position is that of a centre forward. Though he has been in the senior team for over three years, he has been unable to establish himself in the starting eleven at Barcelona.


The signing of Zlatan Ibrahamovic and then, David Villa have meant that he has been relegated to the bench when the rest are fit. He has voiced concerns at the lack of playing time and could move to get more playing time. Arsenal are a club who are looking for a young promising striker and could be interested in Bojan. Barcelona could include the striker in the transfer of long term target Cesc Fabregas in order to tempt Arsenal.

4. Radamel Falcao


Falcao has been in sensational goalscoring form for Porto and is one of the prime reasons for their title success and their achievements in the Europa league so far. The Columbian forward has been in superb form having set a new goalscoring record in the Europa league. He has excellent technique on the ball and his movement provides midfielders with a number of options.

He has been immensely successful in the last two years and Wenger would have to spend big to acquire his services. Falcao has attracted the interest of many top European clubs but FC Porto will be reluctant to sell their star striker after enjoying a hugely successful season this year.

5. Lukas Podolski

The Koln forward is an immensely talented player but has been unable to perform for his club in the last couple of seasons. He had an unsuccessful spell with Bayern Munich after which he returned to his former side. However, he has not had as many good performances as he would have liked but his quality is undeniable.

Podolski has been successful for Germany in the recent past and still has the quality to be a superb player in the future. The versatile forward could be targeted by Arsene Wenger considering the fact that there is a very good possibility of Andrei Arshavin being sold in the summer. The Germany International will be attracted by the opportunity to play Champions League football for a top European club and could be interested in the move.

6. Edinson Cavani

The Napoli striker has been in superb form this season and though his recent red card means that he will not be the highest goalscorer in Serie A, he has been one of the main reasons for Napoli's good season. The lanky striker has a knack of scoring goals and has been prolific in the last few seasons.


"El Matador", as he is nicknamed, is a striker who can cope with physicality and has established himself as one of the best players in Italy. It would take a large sum of money for Arsenal to sign the former Palermo striker. Cavani has also represented Uruguay in the world cup and is considered to be one of the hottest young prospects in the world.