Theo Walcott says he’s glad to be back on the pitch after making his long waited return from abdominal surgery yesterday against former club Southampton.
The winger came on for the final 20 minutes of Arsenal’s 2-0 win, a result which stretched the Gunners lead at the top of the table to four points, and admits he’s now ready to fight for a regular place for both club and country.
“It has been longer than I thought, but it is so good to be back out on the pitch with the guys and playing in such a fantastic team,” he told Sky Sports.
“Seeing the way we play football has been fairly pleasant to watch, but any player who is injured wants to go out there and perform.
“It is frustrating at times, but you have just got to think about getting back fit as soon as you can, and I am happy to be back now.”
Responding to suggestions he has a tough task working his way back into Roy Hodgson’s starting XI, the 24-year-old made clear he was confident in his own abilities.
“It is a challenge I can face, I have faced some in my short career so far.
“It is nothing new to me, I know how to deal with it all. I have some fantastic people around me and know how good I am.
“It will take a couple of games, but I am sure I will be back to my best very soon.”
Meanwhile, Santi Cazorla has turned his attention to Tuesday’s game against Marseille stressing that just because the French side have nothing to play for it won’t be a case of just turning up and taking the points.
Aware that Arsenal’s chances of progression still hang in the balance despite the win over Borussia Dortmund earlier in the month, the Spaniard told Arsenal Player:
“There is nothing at stake for Marseille because they have zero points but they are going to make things difficult for us. It may be tough and if we’re not careful we might slip [up] and then we might not be able to get through to the next round.
“We need to understand that it’s a vital match. If we get the right result we can automatically go to the next round. If we obtained a bad result then it would make things very complicated for us to go to Napoli and win there.”
Its great to see the team playing so well and with focused that has been missing the past couple of seasons. Meanwhile the Spuds are getting a good roasting this afternoon, what a way to spunk a 100 million Mr Levy…
Oh to be a Gooner !!!
https://www.facebook.com/wojciechszczesny1.official/posts/252967548191309
Wish I could see Daniel levys face right now.. ” I got 90 million for bale and we spent it on this shit!? Guess it’s another season of Europa league shitball, if Southampton don’t beat us to it.. Andre hold me :'( “
Spuds lost by six, money well spent 🙂
Roast Spuds on a Sunday. Can’t beat it.
I’ve never felt as calm towards the Arsenal like I have this season. They’re not a source of stress and frustration for once.
It’s so…pleasant.
Meanwhile at the Etihad.. Hahahaha. All of them pundits still seem to think that spurs are title contenders and we are not. I dont mind actually. We are top of the league without being contenders. 😉
We still haven’t beaten anyone above us in the table after all
It’s clearly one of those anomalies you see in the early rounds of the competition where any old rubbish team can get lucky and be top of the league briefly.
The early rounds of the competition sure are lasting a long time this season.
Avb has been arsenals best player over past 2 years
I’m glad we’re 6 points of clear of City. They’re finally finding their feet.
P.S: AVB’s face at final whistle, Priceless.
Can’t really be sure with them. We all thought that after they spanked United.
yes, and it better stay that way. We have to make sure it doesn’t come down to goal difference between us and them.
You’ve got quite a knack of pissing people and yourself off.
The season is still very long and we can still score more than them…
you are right. that comment wasn’t very well thought off. i did the calculations and realised that hypothetically we can reduce the deficit in the goal differences from eight to zero if we beat them 2-0 in both our matches.
…or we could just beat Spurs 7-0 when we play them again.
Cant wait for 14th dec..
Best home team vs Best away team this season..
Ahhhh the upward spiral must have made spuds dizzy hahahahahahahahahahahahah
the live massacres of chicken – off topic
Spuds sold Elvis and signed the Bootleg Beatles it seems!
We are solid, and have players coming back from injuries. This season is gonna be a lot of fun
On topic – the best is really yet to come offensively now that Theo is back. I wouldn’t mind him or Gnabry starting at Marseille on the right. At the risk of changing too much, I would like to see Rosicky and Flamini starting as well.
Off topic, hahahahahaha Spurs.
Is there any truth to the rumour that Spurs are working on a DVD of the first 13 seconds of their game against City?
“13 Seconds of Glory”. See the nil-nil with Manchester City in all it’s glory when we showed them why we are the strongest team in the Premier League in the first 13 seconds of every match. Coming soon to the Club Shop in a special limited edition of 4 DVD’s, a soundtrack CD of the Spurs faithful cheering the team on (Sound volume and quality may appear lower after the 6-second mark), and a wall-sized poster showing a montage of all the best action in the stoic defence of our proud away record (This also doubles as a dust sheet… Read more »
“Olivier Giroud won’t be able to go on all alone until the end of the season. We need to buy.” – Ivan Gazidis
“I think we can win the title without signing a striker,” Wenger told reporters ahead of Saturday’s game.
What do people make of these two contradictory statements?
To dislike this question is to suggest that you cannot even tolerate rational discussion — much less criticism — of the manager’s statements. How brainless.
I produce here your comment from another blog Bamford13 November 24, 2013 16:07:10 “Olivier Giroud won’t be able to go on all alone until the end of the season. We need to buy.” – Ivan Gazidis “I think we can win the title without signing a striker,” Wenger told reporters ahead of Saturday’s game. What do people make of these two contradictory statements? I’m especially interested in what the AKBs on here have to say. And then another Bamford13 November 24, 2013 16:15:57 Even off his top form, Rooney is still a great striker, and better than anyone we have.… Read more »
To complain about other people’s opinions suggests that you cannot tolerate those that think differently to you. How brainless….
You think Wenger will come out publicly and say we need a striker?
That would automatically push up prices.
Think.
I got a few suggestions that our happless so-called-manager could use to improve his hopeless team:
Sell Arteta, get Wanayama.
Sell Walcott, get Townsend.
Samba to replace the toothless Koscielny.
Rid of Cazorla, get Cesc.
Boruc for Szcezny.
Add Fellaini, Cahill and Soldado,
only then we might as well top the table instead of lingering to the fourth place we currently occupy.
^ Why so many dislikes? I got the sarcasm…
@The Cutchess of Dambridge: because using sarcasm isn’t the same as actually being funny.
Funny? That was a stinker, directed at those with a certain taste only…
Slurp!!!! Tastes like Chicken. Mmmmm.
If everybody knows that it is a necessity for us to sign a striker then that would get the price up and negotiation will be tough then.
Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, I would think that most other clubs would be vaguely aware of our situation.
Actually, if Podolski and Walcott repeat their exploits of last season then by January potential sellers may ‘just about’ believe we don’t need a striker, and we might be able to drive a better bargain.
I’ve considered your question carefully and my opion of these conflicting remarks is…
* clears throat *
We are top of the league! WEARETOPOFTHELEAGUE!
After careful scrutiny of the question you just asked. Here’s my answer,
*clears throat
Hahahahahaha we should have got soldado that 30 goal a season striker you know….who keeps scoring and doesnt fire blanks!?
Gazidis didn’t say that. It was made up.
I learned a long time ago. It to listen to what Arsene says to the press. We’ll find out jan 31 what our plans for January are.
*not to listen. I guess asking for an edit button or to be able to reply on mobile would just be stupid ehh Blogs?
Oh scum, how you make me laugh…
Can we go a day without talking about another striker and just enjoy this period? In the Invincible season we went the whole season with just Henry, Berkamp was not a Number 9 and Podolski is as good or even better than Kanu… And besides, we’ve got enough in midfield to be able to not rely on say NB if he had to play. Its not as if we’re looking to go undefeated again this season, all we need is to win the title!
Better than Kanu? Hummm, that’s a bold statement.
Better than who? At least show some respect for the super-sub who happens to be my countryman. He’s what the invisibility was and he was why IAMAGOONER
Even Prince Poldi himself cant say that…its like saying Ozil is better that Dennis, Kanu is an Arsenal great..#showrespect
It has been long few months to see theo back, same as podolski abit more strength to the team lets have marseille
Hurrah Cardiff
Good god what an enjoyable weekend it has been!
Pure pleasure.
Spurs are going to challenge for the title. They have spent more money than Arsenal…100m. Arsenal won’t make top 4. Spurs have bought quality all around.
sound familiar?
Where are those pundits who wrote us off before the transfer window even shut?
To be quite honest I as a fan had almost written them off after that defeat to Villa, the signing of Ozil and the run of form that came after has really made me believe in Wenger and the whole team again. So i can’t really blame the pundits for their doubts at that time, but i cannot understand why on earth they refuse to acknowledge the team now.
Something has to give here this weekend. ARSENAL won handily, the Doctor Who specials were amazing, I won $20 on the lottery, Tottenscum lost by a tennis set, the Mankies blew it in the 90th minute, and I’ve just finished making the most amazing chili for my Grey Cup party. This is too good to continue!
Ah, my daughter’s just told me her $1600 college tuition is due next week. Normal service resumed.
Whats a grey cup party?
@masterofthegoonaverse the grey cup is a Canadian Football (or handegg) competition like the superbowl.
That’s a let down. I was imagining people leaving their drinking horns out in the woods until they grow a fur of mould on them and then drinking alcohol distilled from bear urine, pine cones, and elk’s blood and left to mature alongside a gangrenous cat inside an inflated moose bladder… or something like that.
United. Pfft.
All the more frustrating we didn’t beat them.
It’s my birthday today, and what a great present man city gave me. (Still not as good as the one I got from The Arsenal way back in ’96….Adams, Bergkamp, Wright from the spot. I Love the Lads. Arsenal 3. Sp*rs 1. Good times.)
Wonderful weekend, spurs getting thrashed and united dropping points while conceding a 90th minute goal when in the past it was the opposite. Lol
Wonder if this new panel are going to throw the book at old granny shagger>
Hey! Be fair to the poor guy!!! He was only young when he was granny shagging.
He won’t need a book thrown at him. Now he’s a bit older he’s going to need a shov–, um, a spad-, um, nah, forget I spoke.
Did anyone see AVB at the final whistle? he didnt know whether to trudge down the tunnel, shake pelleg’s hand or just slap each and everyone of his £100 million signings and ofcourse himself.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!
Can we get a gif of this or something?
Theo must be so looking forward to getting back in the team fully fit and rested. Ozil’s been waiting to hook up. Fill your boots.
@ The Alsacien. We can’t really compare the two because they are two totally different strikers but given the situation we’re in now, I’d choose Poldi over Kanu…
Tottenham getting spanked 6-0 is great, but everyone’s forgetting that it was against our biggest threat for the title. I’d have rather see spuds win as they are irrelevant in our outcome
City are too uneven to challenge us. It’s either ridiculous tennis numbers or a lackluster loss against some relegation side.
Well, my first preference was for a card-frenzied bloodbath of a draw. A humiliating massacre for the Spuds was only my second choice. There were far too few cards flashed in any case. I think the ref was shy.
Cardiff did their job as per instructions from His Royal Highness Tywysog Aaron Ramsey. They know what to do when we play them.
Spuds stuffed and mancs fuck up again not a bad weekend
Liverpool held too. Maybe not a true threat by the end of the season, but irritating bastards that needed taking down a peg or two nevertheless.
A Spurs Goal of the month competition for nov will be interesting. Europa league aside i’m not sure they have scored one !
All the comments here made me smile, but yours made me LOL-ed!
Well cardiff capped off the week with a good draw. Proved what we all know. Man Utd are almost a mid-table team wihout the red nosed scotsman .”emphasis on the red nose and not the scotsman”. Beating us didnt prove nothing apart from….well let me not jinx it but hope we are more cautious of Cardiff and don’t mess it up. The seem to have their strategy right for the big ones.
Reports indicate Tottenham players have been arrested for false pretence…..for a number of years now they have been claiming they are a “big team”
Oh what a weekend~
clueless one legged turkey
Sergio aguero has now scored nore than spurs.
Cunts have a goal difference of -3
@vuvuzela gunner Poldi better than Kanu? Naaaa kanu was a super sub perhaps he made me to become a gunner! Guess no south african has wore an arsenal jersey that speak volume lol
what a weekend *sigh*
@El bahaja. You support The Arsenal because Kanu played for Arsenal? We can’t have a conversation bro…
Confident Walcott is Confident.
Hope the rest of the players also see the marsielle game same way as santi
Hope the rest of the players also see the marsielle game same way as santi cazorla. Go and win it boyz