Theo Walcott's return to give Arsenal much-needed new dimension

Theo Walcott

The last league game that Arsenal‘s Theo Walcott played in was the 3-1 away victory over struggling Sunderland. After finally overcoming his injury, he has been passed fit to feature in this Saturday’s huge clash with former club Southampton, who are really flying high at the moment.

This is no doubt great news for Arsene Wenger as the 24-year-old proved himself to be a key figure for the Frenchman last season, top-scoring for the club with a career-best 14 league goals. In fact, he was the league’s third-highest scoring midfielder behind only Tottenham Hotspur‘s Gareth Bale (21), now of Real Madrid, and Chelsea’s Frank Lampard (15).

2012/13 Midfield Goals

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He is yet to score this season in the four appearances he has made, but started every one of those games. It’s quite likely he won’t start at the Emirates Stadium this Saturday, however, with the in-form Tomas Rosicky, Mesut Ozil, and Santi Cazorla likely to get the nod above him, but he should make a cameo appearance off the bench. Usually deployed on the right, his pace should cause problems for young left-back Luke Shaw and left-sided centre-back Dejan Lovren late on.

What makes Walcott such an asset to Arsenal isn’t just the goals that he now gets, but the manner in which he gets them. He is a direct runner on that right flank, one who likes to not only attack defenders (he has completed an average of one take-on per game so far), but also cut inside and get into goal-scoring positions when other team-mates are in possession. He is always on the lookout for through balls or long passes played in behind the defence, so he can run onto them and work an opening for the shot. He has had 10 so far this term.

Theo Walcott Goals Scored 2012/13

Every last one of the 14 goals he scored last season came inside the box, which was the most of any midfielder and the seventh-most overall. Saying that, Shaw and Lovren would have to be alert not only to the passes that would be aimed at him, but also his runs to instigate them. If caught ball-watching, like Patrice Evra was in the second minute back in April as Manchester United drew 1-1 with the Gunners last season, they can be made to pay. This applies to Shaw in particular, as Walcott likes ghosting in behind the left-back en route to the penalty area.

He has played with record signing Ozil, known as the assist king, just twice since his arrival, with one of those times being in the league. The German is certainly capable of picking the right pass, either along the ground or over the top, to send the speedy Walcott through on goal. Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey, who likes to get forward from central midfield, are two other players also capable of picking those kinds of passes.

Once Walcott regains match fitness, he’ll no doubt return to the starting lineup on the right flank. At that time, it’ll be interesting to see how his directness benefits from the vision of Ozil in particular. This Saturday, we may just catch an insightful glimpse.