What more will it take to convince fans of Walcott’s worth?
WHEN Arsenal desperately needed to bust Lincoln’s dam, up stepped their wing-man Theo Walcott.
Eleven years and more than a century of goals into his career at the club and plenty in north London are still to be convinced of his value.
Yet Walcott has developed a knack of finding the net, often with important goals, early in games and often when Arsene Wenger’s other key goal sources have gone missing.
He was on target to offer hope before the Champions League capitulation against Bayern Munich, struck first at Manchester City, settled the nerves at Sutton and got a hat-trick in the fourth round at Southampton.
When Wenger lifted this famous old trophy for the sixth time two years ago, it was Walcott who scored the first in a four-goal romp against Aston Villa.
This season he has five goals in his three appearances in the competition, taking his club total to a dozen FA Cup goals which have hauled him level with Ian Wright, though a long way behind Cliff Bastin’s record of 26. Having forced two saves out of Lincoln keeper Paul Farman, the first a splendid push on to the post, Walcott was the man threatening again as half-time approached and Lincoln hoped they might return to the sanctuary of the dressing room with the score still goalless.
Walcott, not for the first time in recent weeks — when the pressure has started to take a hold at the Emirates — has been one of the few prepared to step forward and seize responsibility. Wenger’s Arsenal is a club where it has become all too easy for players to avoid responsibility when the going gets tricky.
Many of them opted out against Bayern. Little wonder the manager sent out virtually the same team against the very different problems caused by the non-Leaguers.
Walcott may not possess the touch and vision of Mesut Ozil or the ability to conjure a goal from nowhere like Alexis Sanchez, but Wenger knows he will produce pace and penetration down the right. Sanchez, Arsenal’s own troublesome imp, cashed in with the fourth against Lincoln but his first-half display was a continuation of his lack of interest.
The Chilean is a fabulous player. His strike was his 21st of the season, a tally which is largely responsible for keeping the team in the hunt for a top-four finish.
Arsenal will miss him when he has gone but Walcott’s contribution should be appreciated and his goal-rate is impressive. That’s 17 in 29 appearances for the season and he has relieved a little pressure.