Arsenal Reaping Benefits From Theo Walcott Euro Snub
Theo Walcott was left out of Roy Hodgson’s England Euro squad this summer. He has returned with a different mentality and Arsenal are reaping the rewards.
Roy Hodgson announced his initial England squad for the upcoming European Championships with a sense of uncertainty surrounding many of the fringe players. His biggest task was to dissect a whole host of midfield options, including the likes of Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott. While the former squeezed in thanks to his performances for England rather than his fitness levels for his club, the latter was ousted from the 26-man provisional squad in favour of a recently relegated Andros Townsend.
It was a low point in Walcott’s career, who has suffered perennial disappointments with national squad announcements. He is, however, using it as motivation just six short months later, where his recent form for his club has been duly noted.
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Speaking after Arsenal’s three-goal demolition of London rivals Chelsea, Arsene Wenger was keen to highlight the change in his often criticised right winger since the Euros omission:
“I always felt there is character and intelligence in this boy. What was a big blow for him was not to go to the Euros. He is a guy with a good assessment of his performances and qualities. He is 27, a very important age. I said many times at the start of the season that we would see a different Theo Walcott. I could see he made a decision and stuck to it.”
Such comments detail the drive and determination that Walcott now has to maximise his once lauded potential. At 17 he was seen as a future star, selected for the World Cup squad in 2006 by Sven Goran-Erikson before packing his bags and heading to the capital with an assumed long and fruitful career ahead of him.
His decade in North London has not played out as expected, however, with a mire of injuries and positional uncertainty stenting his development. Now an established right winger, however, Walcott is finding his top form.
Wenger continued along the Euro disappointment lines, adding: “We spoke about the disappointment of not going to Euro 2016 with England. He is a special case. He went at 17 to the World Cup. We are now at 2016 and he hasn’t been to another World Cup. He has matured. When a player survives this type of disappointment from what was promised for him at 16, the way he dealt with the situation, I always felt there was something special in this guy.”
Walcott’s international snub is Arsenal’s benefit. The Gunners are enjoying some of the best football out of him since he moved from Southampton, and with an ever-growing confidence in his own ability and relationship with his astoundingly talented teammates, he is now in a position to finally fulfill the hopes that were set upon him all those years ago.
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