Welcome to this week’s edition of Clayton’s Calculator where I examine the main “numbered” talking points for Arsenal FC. This week I’ll be discussing Theo’s departure, some promising youngsters and (unfortunately) the team’s run of form. The first number is…
12 Seasons With the Club
Theo Walcott is the club’s longest-serving current player, having signed back in January 2006. While he’s the last remaining player to have been signed during the Highbury era, he didn’t actually make an appearance until the first season at the Emirates. At the time, Walcott was the cliched “next big thing” in English football. To this day he still holds the English team records for the youngest senior player (17 years and 75 days old) and youngest to score a hat-trick (19 years and 178 days old).
Theo Walcott’s accomplishments on the field are nothing to brush away considering he’s part of the illustrious 100-goal club for Arsenal. I’ll be old and grey before I forget about his remarkable run and assist at Anfield in the Champions League, hattricks against Newcastle and Reading, volley in the FA Cup Final, and of course, the 2-0 gesture towards Spurs fans. Even after accounting for all of his performances, his career will always be considered somewhat of a disappointment. It’s not a disappointment because he should’ve done better, but rather because the bar was set so high.
He muscled his way into the first team quickly and improved every season. We all had high hopes for his future. He found great form during the 12/13 season, becoming the club’s top attacking outlet with 21 goals and 16 assists in all competitions. But new and persistent injuries seemed to have taken away from his pace, which is his greatest asset. He only made 18 appearances the following season and hasn’t been able to rediscover the same form since. Last season seemed to be his final chance to prove his worth, scoring 19 in all competitions. But a formation change meant there was no room for an ageing winger.
I truly wish him the best of luck at Everton, as he has signed a 3 1/2 year contract in excess of £20m with the Toffees.
3 More Youngsters to Watch
With Walcott and Coquelin gone and the rumoured departure of several players, more youngsters will be looking to battle their way into the first-team. We’ve already been impressed by Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles this season. All 3 players have been able to find some first-team minutes with AMN the standout of the group, getting 15 starts. Having just watched the U23’s destruction of Manchester United, I believe I know who is next to knock on that first-team door.
Jeff Reine-Adelaide is the first obvious answer. Had he not suffered a reoccurring ankle injury in October, it’s possible that he would’ve managed a couple of appearances in the Europa League or League Cup. While it remains to be seen if his ankle is still injury-prone, he’s been introduced back into the U23 side and scored a goal against the United U23s. He looked dangerous throughout and could’ve scored a few more goals with more clinical finishing. Jeff has always been an exciting prospect for many fans because of his ability to dribble through congestion and spot runs.
Josh Dasilva has been spending most of his time with the U23s, scoring a goal and assisting 5 others. Coming through the Hale End Academy he played as a striker but has since converted to a midfielder. He made his senior debut in the League Cup against Doncaster, coming on to replace Chambers in a back-three. Why in a back-three, you ask? Because Wenger. Much like Reine-Adelaide, he is great at slotting a through-ball. He picked up an assist in the 4-0 win.
Another player who impressed me from this game was Vlad Dragomir. While he’d feel more comfortable as a winger, playing in a back-three formation he was deployed as a left wing-back. He made several scintillating runs forward, but much like Kolasinac, he needs to be careful about getting back on defence. He scored at the 60-minute mark after a quick one-two pass with Reiss Nelson.
1 Win Out of 6
While the u23’s are playing with confidence, the first-team has been on a dreadful run of form. What makes this 1 in 6 number even worse is the fact that it includes games against Bournemouth (loss), Nottingham Forest (loss), and West Brom (draw). Going into their games against Arsenal, those 3 teams combined for just 4 wins in their last 36 matches.
If Arsenal possessed a secret sauce when first deploying the back-three last season, it’s surely been stolen and replicated a hundred times since then. It sucks to say, but Arsenal has been figured out. These three deployed the same strategy against the Gunners:
- When Arsenal is attacking, sit back and stay disciplined, even if it means 10 of your players are in your own 18.
- When Arsenal’s defenders have the ball, pressure them into making mistakes.
- When you’re attacking, keep wingers out wide to either get a cross in or open up the middle in order to exploit Arsenal’s slow centre-backs.
Arsenal has had absolutely no luck in breaking down teams that play this way. I genuinely don’t know what to expect from this team for the rest of the season. Will some fresh faces like Aubameyang, Mhikitarian, or Malcom be able to pump some life into the Gunners or will Wenger rely on up-and-coming youth players? Will the team rediscover its form or will the defence continue to leak goals and the attack lack creativity?
Your guess is as good as mine.
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