Six games in the next 18 days, including showdowns with Chelsea, Sp*rs and Manchester United, two Champions League fixtures and a visit to high-flying Leicester…Arsenal’s season is about to kick into overdrive.
Having recovered from sloppy dropped points against West Ham and Liverpool to grind our way back into the Premier League’s top four it’s essential we maintain steady momentum. According to Theo Walcott, it’ll be tough, however, he assures supporters there’s a belief in the squad that the club can challenge on three fronts in the run up to Christmas.
Claiming the early stages of the season are about substance rather than style, the England international underlined that the Gunners are slowly finding their best form.
“We’re competing in the Premier League, the best league, and in the Champions League against the best players in the world,” he told Arsenal Player.
“We’re going to improve and we need to have a good solid start. Away from home, it’s always difficult to play your first game but I think it will do us a favour to be honest. Everyone just needs to recover well.
“It’s important to see Arsenal in the top four [in the Premier League]. When people say we’re not playing great, we’re starting to get to where we want to be. That’s the sign of a good team, if you’re steady going but you’re getting the results.”
Bullish to the last Walcott also predicted that opponents will be worried if Arsenal keep winning. “It’s all about results at this moment in time, getting the three points,” he continued.
No one is going to remember the start of the season. When we do hit form people will be more and more worried. I’m sure of that. So this Arsenal team can go far if we really actually believe in it, and a lot of the players do at the moment.
“Every game is going to be tough but I believe in this team and I think that’s important. We’ve had seasons where we’ve had very bad injuries but there’s a lot of competition for places now which is healthy for the team.
“We’ve got a lot of competitions which we are in and we want to compete in those, compete in the Premier League, to challenge for the title this time. You can sense that Chelsea are starting to struggle this season but they’re the champions and I’m sure they’ll bounce back from this. We just need to worry about ourselves and we’re slowly climbing up there.”
Arsenal travel to Zagreb tomorrow afternoon as they look to secure a winning start to their first Champions League group game of the season. It’s nine years since we last played the Croats on their patch, on that occasion a brace from Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie strike did the damage as we ran out 3-0 winners.
In the return leg Eduardo Silva scored the first European goal at the Emirates – seemingly turning Arsene’s head in the process – before Mathieu Flamini and Freddie Ljungberg secured a 5-1 aggregate victory.
Let’s hope fo more of the same on Wednesday evening.
Walcott’s always bullish. He’s almost Stepford at times.
If only his finishing matched his brilliant ability to consistently say the right things.
I really cringe out when I read/watch his interviews. It just seems like such air. Almost as if he has some little ear piece in, with his PR agent whispering to him the exact thing to say. I know that the players get asked a lot of mundane guff by joker pundits/journalists, but still, he just seems too PR slick for me.
I think he needs to concentrate more on his footballing ability, instead of his media presence.
I expect nothing less than 30 point from our next six games.
If you are hoping for impossible, why not demand 90 points, win the league in next 4 games so we can concentrate on Champions League there after??
To be honest i will be glad with 29 points as long as we kill chelshit and beat d shit out of sp*rs(also shit)* come thoe we can do this
Can one really beat the shit “out” of spurs when you’re really just beating shit?
If you beat the shit out of Spurms there’d be nothing left.
Chelshit! Thats very witty.
Walcott always sounds as though he is reading from a script. I mean, I get that there’s not much else he can say, but somehow the way he trots it out it always sounds kind of hollow, even when I believe him!
Well yes it’s a tough run, but you should and could it easier for your teammates, Feo.
What a touch and finish from theo on Saturday. If alexis had done that people would be going crazy.
Thanks for making the point. The contribution that Theo had at the end of last season and scoring this great goal on saturday and fans are still denigrating him, amazes me. If Theo remains healthy, it is 20 goals right there.
I know right it’s like people would rather talk about his misses. It was a splendid goal and he’s got that in his locker. Show some faith, give him the belief and I’ve got no doubt that he’ll be banging them away
Totally agree. I really don’t know whether Walcott is any good as a CF because I’ve never seen him play there; at least for any sustained period of time. Hopefully this season he’ll get something like 20 odd games through the middle, then we can see whether or not he’s up to the job! If he can stay fit and isn’t shunted out onto the right at the first sight of misfiring – 11 PL goals on 11 PL starts! – then I’m confident he’ll bag 20 goals. Alexis, Theo and Giroud are our strikers at least until January, lets… Read more »
What else would you like him to say? It’s right and appropriate (even if a bit vanilla) for him to be optimistic coming into such a busy time of year. I think we all know his potential and just want to see him fulfil it. He can be frustrating but has evolved into a true goal scorer (11 in his last 11 PL starts confirms this).
A solid brace against the dirty chavs will go a long way to winning people over. COYG!
I am one of those who felt betrayed by Weger when the transfer window closed but I am surprisingly confident. What thrills me about this team is the character of key players. 1: Cech in goal looms larger than life and brings a calmness we have missed for a long time. 2. Gabriel: we have a reliable alternative at the back. 3. Coquelin: his only weakness is that he was not a big money transfer. 4 Bellerin and Monreal: don’t think there are better full backs in England at the moment. 5. Arteta: judged too harshly in some quarters but… Read more »
You’d better be accredited to 20 goals at the end of the season after your bullish talk or eLse…
To be honest i will be glad with 29 points as long as we kill chelshit and beat d shit out of sp*rs(also shit)* come theo we can do this
3-0 first leg then Eduardo, Ljunberg and Flamini score to make it 5-1 on aggregate…? OG!?
Just realised what I’ve done. Let the red thumbs rain down on that.
Dick.
Theo has always scored in patches so after his superb goal on Saturday, hopefully this is the start of a 5 or 6 goal a game trot for him.
BTW – his goal was all round superb. Fantastic tackle by Coq, sublime pass by Ozil, and great take and finish by Theo.