Walcott: I’m a totally different player to our other options

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott believes his pace will stand him in good stead as he looks to secure a regular starting berth at the Emirates.

The England international made a great come back by scoring twice against Manchester City in his first start after recovering from the abductor injury that had kept him out for two months.

The 24 year old feels that he will provide a different option for the manager and firmly believes his directness will be a fine alternative to the trickery of his midfield teammates.

Speaking to the Arsenal official website, he said:

You need different options. We’ve got a lot of players who love getting on the ball, who have great touch and great supply, but you need a bit of pace just to stretch teams and give them that extra bit of worry.
We’ve got so much danger going forwards and it’s a nice headache for the manager to have. I’m a totally different player to most of our other options.

Walcott has expressed his delight to have the chance to play alongside Mesut Ozil and also praised the impact of the German international on the team. He added:

I only played two games with Mesut before getting injured. If you look at his record he gets assists in pretty much every game – and he supplied me again the other weekend.
He’s always looking for those passes, and we have a lot of others who can do that too. He’s making us a better team.

The Englishman has made his return to the starting line up against Manchester City and despite the unfavourable result, added an attacking dimension that Arsenal have lacked recently. He had a great season last year as he scored 21 goals and was the club’s top scorer.

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The Gunners title challenge this season has not been built on firepower, but rather on their defensive efficiency. Whilst their sound defence has sufficed thus far, the league defeat to Manchester City indicates that goals are required against the best outfits and Walcott represents that aspect of the game which Arsenal have been missing this season.

He is capable of scoring against the best sides and creates space in and around the box with his bursts of pace and will enable Arsenal to exploit their opponents. His pace also forces a tactical switch in the way their opponents play which in turn will benefit the team.

Olivier Giroud, who is unquestionably carrying the weight of striking responsibility at the club will greatly benefit from the return of Walcott and hopefully the England international will be of a sufficient impact to see them fighting for trophies come towards the end of the campaign.

Can Walcott better his performances from last season? Share your thoughts in the comments below.