Will Theo Walcott be Arsenal's saviour?

Theo Walcott of Arsenal during the FA Cup Fourth Round match against Brighton & Hove Albion

Arsenal started the season on a positive note but that has faded away. Arsenal managed barely to save its face with numerous drawn encounters but have always lacked finishing in the opposition half and have failed to convert those half-chances that could have been crucial deciders of the game. Lacking the ability to score goals is a major concern at this point for the club.

Injuries to strikers Olivier Giroud and later Danny Welbeck further lowered the scoring opportunities. It is not just the deficiency in scoring that has been a concern but the lack of solidity in the defence as well.

Theo Walcott’s highly anticipated return did spark new hope among gooners that he would solve the scoring crisis for the club. But he failed to impress, missing lots of scoring opportunities that he would have normaly converted. The failure to convert such chances can only be attributed to the long lay-off due to a knee injury suffered in a FA cup tie against arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in January 2014.

Glimpses of old form

Walcott may still be lacking some fitness for a full game but he sure is roaring to score for the gunners. And a glimpse of his desire to score was witnessed in the FA cup tie against Brighton Hove Albion – he scored in the opening quarter of the game.

If he is able to return to the form on the next matchday exactly where he left off, there will remain no questions that Arsenal are back and ready to fight for the title. Winning the league sounds like a mountain of a task being thirteen points behind leaders Chelsea, but an FA cup defence and to improve the record in the UEFA Champions League is certainly in grasp.

The speeding forward’s return will cause some selection issues for the manager Mr. Arsene Wenger, and such issues might as well be welcomed at the club, it is certainly better than having to run out of players due to injuries.

Walcott’s nose for creating goals is an ability that Arsenal severely missed in the latter half of the previous campaign that saw them drop from the top spot in January to the fourth place at the end of the season.

With Walcott returning to his scoring self and the support of fellow players like Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis Sanchez in the midfield, the gunners will become a force to reckon with. The combination of their abilities will surely help Arsenal convert hard-fought draws into three highly required points.