Does Theo Walcott still have a place in Arsenal’s starting line-up?

Theo Walcott has had a tough year. After picking up an injury in one of last season’s North London derbies (and getting coins chucked at him in the process), the pacey winger has had to fight his way back to full fitness.

Whilst players like Olivier Giroud, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil have raced back to full fitness following their injury problems, it’s taken Theo the best part of a year to make his return. Some fans were concerned that he would take some time to get back to his best. Others were worried that he’d never quite re-capture his form.

This strikes me as a strange line of thought. Has Theo Walcott ever really been in form? He’s one of the most inconsistent players of this era. He’s clearly talented and he’s got bags of pace, but he doesn’t always use his gifts for the greater good of this Arsenal team.

I suppose the closest thing to ‘form’ for Theo would be his goal-return in the 2012/13 season, where he played 43 times and found the back of the net 21 times. If he can hit a similar strike rate this season, I’ll be impressed.

He’s certainly off to a good start. Since his return to the Arsenal starting line-up, he’s scored two goals in two games. As he notes, in the following comments, he’s been buoyed by his team’s good form:

‘In the second half I can’t think of a more one-sided game. It was a great victory.’

Theo Walcott was also questioned about how much strength in depth his club currently has. Check out his comments:

‘Alexis will be back soon — next week hopefully — and so the squad is strong. When everyone is fit, it is a headache for the manager. But it is a good headache when you have competition for places. It makes people perform that little bit more.’

That’s the trouble for Theo. There’s now a lot of competition for places in this Arsenal squad. There’s no way that he’s going to leapfrog Alexis Sanchez. But where else is he going to play?

Down the middle there’s Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck. This could see him left out of the starting line-up.

In other words, Theo Walcott’s going to need to keep making an impact if he’s to keep his place in the team. He’s got a tendency to go missing (he’s probably just conserving his energy, but none the less…). If he wants to fulfil his potential, this can’t happen any more.

What’s your take? What does the future hold for Theo Walcott?

Please follow @ThePerfectPass for more football related action!

ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.