Theo Walcott says Arsene Wenger has hammered home the importance of Arsenal making a first start in games and says hard work on the training ground appears to be paying dividends.
The Gunners have scored inside the first 30 minutes of each of their last eight matches; winning seven of those across two competitions to seal passage into the sixth round of the FA Cup and to keep pace with the race for a Champions League spot.
Talking to the Evening Standard about the desire to get ahead early, Walcott revealed: “The manager has put in our heads that we need to start well, particularly from the front and pressurise the ball well.
“Keeping clean sheets will mean we win games because we always know we are going to score goals and we’ve continued to do that in recent weeks.
“Things are paying off for us at the moment so we just need to make sure we take it into the next few weeks.
“You need the fans behind you so getting that early goal settles them and the players down.”
Interestingly, the England international added: “We have maybe been working a lot harder in training — I don’t know if that’s the reason — but everyone relates to each other and knows their weaknesses and positives. It is working well.”
meow
Where’s my dogs at…
Forever COYG!!!
How come the manager wasn’t saying that last season when we were top of the league and playing big teams?
I can understand working harder in training – there is more competition for places. Hooray!
Yea the competition is definitely a big factor. Normally all the good players in the squad had pretty much guaranteed spots because although we had cover, the cover was injured. And then when said cover was healthy, the starter gets a knock, a pretty nice cycle. But now we have cover for our cover in attacking areas, and those players are capable of playing in midfield or on the wings, and we pretty much have 5 guys who can play in the striker position for us, so everyone knows if they slip, they’re out. Also, the Coq came and got… Read more »
Is it news to the players that starting well is important? That getting the first goal vital? That closing down early on can dictate the rest of the game? Wow, maybe Wenger assumed this went without saying but if not, I kinda wish he had got this into the teams head about 10 or so years ago. Better late than never.
I know he means well, but when multi-millionaire players say things like,
“we’re much more focussed now” or “we’re working a lot harder in training”,
the sarcastic guy inside me wants to raise both thumbs up and shout out: “Thanks for that mate, that’s thoughtful of you”
For now I won’t share with you you what the cycnical little git inside me wants to say.
I will be the cynical git. You should have tried harder from the beginning!!@! There is no 120% there is only 100% which is expected from you in the beginning! Focus is required from you from the beginning! Not from some arbitrary point in your arsenal career where you decide when focus is required !
On a regular basis, I put most of what managers and players say down to fluff from the PR department. However, I do think there might be something to this and it does make you raise an eyebrow. I’ll give it a ‘things that make you go hmmm’ along with Wenger’s comments regarding the importance of the pressing game. I would stake my neighbors first born increased training and pressing can be credited to the irrepressible Sanchez. Since he came to Arsenal he has pretty much played his own game which is both to attack and then defend from an… Read more »
And this is news to the players? Kinda thought this went without saying to be honest.
I’m sure you’re just beating the clubs away with a stick that want you as their next manager.
After all, it’s much more rewarding to post smug, know-it-all comments on the internet, isn’t it just?
Yup.
Yup.
Would be a travesty of justice if this group don’t finish at least 3rd in the league.
Let’s hope they aren’t thinking that, I want them to be working hard.
It’ll be a travesty if Arsene doesn’t add at least a couple more trophies to the cabinet before signing off in a few years. Hopefully a PL and Big Ears before he’s done!!
I wonder what the rest of the squad believes Theo’s weaknesses to be…
I’m sure they think ‘saying stupid things in interviews’ is one weakness.
Looking at the quality of players we have in attacking positions, it makes a lot of sense to aim for good starts. I suppose the key is to marry attacking prowess with defensive cohesion. I’m genuinely excited about seeing this current group kicking on and improving. Up the Arsenal!
A third great team in the Wenger era is slowly but surely emerging. By next season, I believe, we will begin to see it in full flow.
For the first time in a long while, it will take injuries of epidermic proportions to derail the team because we are well stocked in every department and any shortfall will be taken care of this summer.
Don’t tempt the fate man. We have been stung with injuries before. I just hope Wenger manages players rotation well to ensure we have minimum amount of injuries possible.
Ditto. One thing I appreciate this season has imposed is rotation. We have two strong players in every position and they should be routinely rotated.
lol ‘epidermic’. Beware – Attack of the Eczema!
I worry when Theo does interviews as more often than not we tend to lost the next game.
*Actually may not be true but it feels that way.
oh what a night
late in may in 1999
ole scored a goal in extra time
what a feeling, what a night!
im an arsenal fan but that is one catchy song…
Going for the most thumbs down ever???
Get out.
oh wow. that got a bad reaction but maybe we’ll be able to sing a song like that someday (winning the champions league).
You actually expected some other kind of reaction?
Good grovelling…
Just sing the original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCIErKfP-uk , one of my favourite songs ever and is a classic, not this version.
Quite frankly, there are no songs for the invincibles or Arsenal double championship and FA cup win that you remember of ? You misfired you comment the way TheRealRooney runs and misfires PK into the sky at times.
wasn’t it 1989 and wasn’t it St Michael?
Thumb down, clear cache …
Thumb down, clear cache …
Thumb down, clear cache …
I dont think you understand.. if we dont win then FUCK whoever wins. Fuck them up their stupid asses!~!!Q
“Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here (the thumbs down button) to see.”
“We are working harder in training,” says Walcott, in the immediate aftermath of another Ramsey hamstring injury.
I’m just wondering what is taking Raymond Verheijen so long to jump to another ludicrous conclusion.
A good start sure beats a bad start!
Thanks blogs,
what you do is amazing day in day out, keep up the good work!
Just wanted to say thank you
#COYG
True, but you do kiss Arse(blog).
Working hard on weaknesses.
Clean sheets.
Two players for every position/squad competition.
Some of the best players in the league.
World-class players in form.
More-often-than-not looking like the Arsenal of old.
No one shouting ‘Wenger out’ any longer.
No contract crises.
Giroud outshining RVP (among others).
WWLWWWWWLWWDWWLWWW (in all competitions)
Players taking responsibility.
Santi-Ozil-Alexis gelling like a dream.
Bellerin and Coquelin continuing to impress.
An FA Cup quarter-final to look forward to.
These are problems I can live with.
Being pedantic, most of these aren’t problems.
Being an Arsenal fan, good work, fantastic stuff.
its ok doing it to lowly teams but we still need to prove our selves against man u and chelski we done it against man city but adopted different tacticts then, we are on paper as strong now as chelski now and have the players to come on and change games but looking very promising now we have a fluidity around the pitch and players being pressured for the places, apart from ozil, santi,cos & sanchez who being fit would be deffo starters in the big game the rest have desire to play well with some one waiting in the… Read more »
Impressed, try a full-stop next time?
He types without handbrakes.
Any punctuation would help.
We have the quality in all areas of the squad. We need to get the team effort right on the day. The tactic has to be spot on. Sitting deeper worked against city where it was not so practical against Leicester second half. Pressing higher worked against Boro putting their defense under undue duress. We have not changed our basic structure this season. There is no Plan B. It is mainly PLan A interpreted well (or not) and executed well. Slight adjustments have been made in either one of the mids ahead of the DM dropping deeper when necessary. It… Read more »
It’s really down to competition within the ranks across positions. With a relatively healthy and healing squad of starting XI potential players 2 deep in every position, it’s natural that the intensity picks up. To me, that’s no fault of the players. When your first XI are going against a mixed bag of youth, bench and fringe (now on loan, btw) players – it’s not easy to increase your intensity to the highest level without the competition actually present. We have one of the most diverse and deep midfields in Europe and the fact they’re facing each other in training… Read more »
Boom Bam, BaBoom BaBoom Bam
Keep Pace with the Race
Wicki wicki wow.
So training harder gives is a better chance of winning?
Dayyyym.
Alexis has helped bring this harder work to training through his work ethic and enthusiasm.