Theo Walcott has claimed that Arsenal’s players are too fixated on the same thing, also suggesting that Arsene Wenger would not be having any of it.
The Gunners began the Premier League season brightly with wins over Manchester United and Leeds United, but they then fell to a 1-0 defeat away at Liverpool.
Although the Reds are reigning champions and spent heavily, Arsenal were also very busy on the transfer front and fans will have wanted to see more from their side.
Theo Walcott, speaking on It’s Called Soccer, noticed something from the Gunners players that he would have never experienced playing under Arsene Wenger.
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Theo Walcott says Arsenal players are ‘too fixated’ on getting back into position
After the game, Roy Keane said on Sky Sports that Arsenal’s players looked “robotic” going into the final third.
“Yeah, there was a bit of rushing their play towards the end when they were chasing a goal,” said Keane.
“But in general play, you’re thinking, ‘do something quickly, do something off the cuff.’ They’re still going forward, a bit robotic.”
Walcott, who was sitting alongside Keane, had his say on those comments when he spoke on It’s Called Soccer!
“I noticed it yesterday when you’re saying about the situation when the balls could be into space or they could maybe go at a player, but they’re too fixated on getting back into their position,” he said.
“‘No, I’m out of position now’ – you know, Roy was saying about being robotic.”
Walcott went on to say Wenger was “the best” at keeping things simple and allowing players to express themselves, which in turn led to better results on the pitch.
“We don’t need to overcomplicate in the final third,” Walcott continued.
“Arsene Wenger was the best at it. He always wouldn’t overcomplicate things.
“He would always say you want to get the best players in their positions to really isolate the opposition where you’re going to be most effective. And it worked for him.”
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Why the international break has come at the worst possible time for Mikel Arteta
A halt to league proceedings would normally be a good opportunity for a club to go back to the drawing board and work hard in training to put things right after such a disappointing display.
However, being one of the best teams in the league is very much a double-edged sword for Arsenal when it comes to the international break, since that means most of their best players will be off.
Only Kepa Arrizabalaga, Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Christian Norgaard, Ben White, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz will be sticking around at London Colney, with most of them recovering from injury.
With that in mind, Arteta and his coaches will have to figure out among themselves how best to unlock the Arsenal front line’s vast potential and then implement things quickly once everyone is back.
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