Australians have a way of saying someone is hyperactive. They describe such a person as “full of beans”. Funny choice of words from a curious specie of people.
Last Saturday afternoon between 3pm and 4.20pm, Theo Walcott was overflowing with beans.
Aided, abetted and supported by his ten other teammates, the 21 year-old England World Cup reject was a Spitfire, a Stuka dive bomber and a B-52 all rolled-into one.
As the Gunners trampled allover Blackpool Saturday afternoon in the Emirates, Walcott led the show and announced his arrival. Finally?
Well, Walcott has been arriving since January 2006 when Wenger nicked him from Southampton; from under the tutelage of Harry Redknapp into the limelight and onto a surprise World Cup invite by Sven Goran Eriksson. He has since been the Golden Boy that never became a man. The perpetual kid.
Last Saturday, we all saw the immense talent that has long frustrated and impressed in fits these past four years.
Is it for real now?
Only time can tell of course, but apart from the three well-taken goals against Blackpool, Walcott did a lot of other good things in the 60minutes he was on the pitch that gives us all cause for hope.
He linked well with other frontmen Chamakh, Arshavin and even young Wilshere.
He made runs for ‘old man’ Rosicky, who found him a useful outlet to thread pin-point passes and through balls behind the Blackpool defence. No team ever puts on a perfect show in a game of football, but Saturday’s display was the closest you will ever see of 100% football.
And Walcott was at the nerve centre of it all. For someone famously described as lacking a “football brain”, Saturday’s display was a vintage response to bitter and often personal criticism.
Spare a thought for teamwork though . Walcott’s three goals notwithstanding, the side put in an outstanding shift for an afternoon’s job.
With match stats of 12 shots on goal as against Blackpool’s one; 88% completed passes; 55% possession and 64% of game time in their opponent’s territory, the team was near-faultless. Albeit against ten-men, you might say.
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| Bend it like Henry...Theo opening his account against Blackpool |
Below are the ratings for the game.
*Almunia (5/10) - Didn’t have much to do apart from standing around picking up backpasses and stray balls. No fault of his though. The men in front of him did a great job of keeping Blackpool at bay.
*Sagna (7/10) - Flawless as usual and full of running. Always a joy to watch the way he bombs up and down the right flank. If he was English, he would give Glen Johnson a close run for the England right back shirt. Laid on a sweet carpetter for Abou Diaby’s goal.
* Clichy (6/10) - Did all that was required of him with little fuss. The supremely-confident Frenchman is so good on the left flank and so quick to spot danger. No wonder “Special One” Mourinho is sniffing around.
*Vermaelen (7/10) - Mr Organiser at the back. TV has ingrained himself so well and so comfortably as our No 1 defender that he is already a legend after just one season at the club. Dealt well with the pretty little that Blackpool could muster in form of an attack. Even found time to roam forward and unleash one of his howitzers in the second half.
* Song (7/10) - Did very well as TV’s sidekick in the middle of defence. Wenger likes plumping him there in a crisis and once more he didn’t disappoint. It is a measure of Wenger’s absolute faith in him that he was preferred to a fit Djourou.
* Diaby (6/10) - Continued from where he stopped against Liverpool by manning the DM position once more. Didn’t need to do anything spectacular to stop Blackpool, so he often got carried away with his dribbles and pirouettes. A decent shift before he got substituted.
* Wilshere (7/10) - Much better performance than the Liverpool game. He is truly a bundle of talent. His vision, confidence and composure for an 18year-old is just jaw-dropping. He almost got a goal for himself deep into the second half when he moonwalked through the Blackpool defence. Laid on the assist for Theo’s second strike.
*Rosicky (7/10) - He probably deserves better than a 7. Also another improved performer from the Liverpool game. Is the absence of Fabregas and Nasri the secret behind his performance? We may never know but I strongly suspect that Rosicky is at his best as a No 10. Did everything right at the heart of midfield with a mature and professional display.
* Walcott (9/10) - It is a rating that will be hard to match all-season long. He was everywhere on the pitch (almost). Ran the show upfront and also ran Blackpool’s leftback, Steve Crainey ragged. So on-fire was he that he even came inside and took up the centre forward position with relish – poaching two goals thenceforth.
He looked like someone playing with anger inside of him and for long stretches of the game, you had to rub your eyes not to confuse him with a certain Thierry Henry. Good job, Theo. Good job indeed.
*Arshavin (6/10) - Yet another improver from the Liverpool game, except that he is still sort of feeling his way into games. Laid on the sweet assist that Walcott sidefooted for the opener and took his penalty with professional calm. Also gifted Chamakh with an open goal in the second half. Did enough to preserve his reputation before being withdrawn.
* Chamakh (7/10) - The more you see of the Moroccan, the more you understand why Wenger waited a whole year to sign him. He is a selfless frontman and a tireless workhorse. You can see his heart is in his job. Drew the penalty from the unfortunate Ian Evatt and never stopped trying until he got his own goal with a determined header deep in the second half. A very good outlet for the team’s midfield work and surely, Niklas Bendtner should be a worried man now.
Subs
*Fabregas (5/10) - The skipper came on to stretch his legs after the job had literally been done. A comfy stroll in the park for him as he kicked off his seventh season with the Gunners. Will it be his last? Time as always, will tell.
* Van Persie (5/10) - Another stroll in the park for the Dutchman. He came on together with Fabregas and you could see he was hungry to get his share of the kill. Almost overdid it though when he went down clutching his thigh. It brought a slight worry to Wenger’s face at that point, but he eventually saw out the game comfortably without any damage.
*Vela (6/10) - For someone who was on for so short a time, he attracted attention with a commendable performance. Lobbed the entire Blackpool defence at a point but couldn’t connect properly with his weaker right foot. Looked hungry and angry as well.
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