Walcott and England’s Waste of Pace

During England vs. Moldova Theo Walcott cut a frustrated figure due to the lack of service he was receiving from his midfield colleagues.  Time and time again Walcott made runs into the space behind the Moldovan right back Bordiyan only to be missed by Lampard, Gerrard and his partner on the right wing Kyle Walker.  When the correct pass was spotted, normally by Wilshere, it was lacking the correct level of accuracy to put him through.  This seems to be an ongoing trend when Walcott plays for England, which often leads to him being criticised for being ineffective when playing for the Three Lions.  If England can harness Walcott’s blistering pace, movement and improved finishing ability then he can become a pivotal weapon in the attacking contingent of the national side.   

Walcott is used to the supreme service provided by the Arsenal midfield which allows him to play on the shoulder and spin into space knowing that one of his colleagues will be looking to play him in at the first opportunity.  This gives him the best chance to work the space and use his terrifying speed to bully a beleaguered left back opponent to draw a yellow card, or head straight to goal leaving the defence in his dust.  Lampard and Gerrard are more than capable of hitting a quality through ball, it just seems not be their first option when in possession which allows the defender the extra half-second to cut out the intended pass when it is played.  This in turn has a negative impact on Walcott who has to delay his runs to avoid the offside trap and second-guess his teammates when the ball will be delivered.  

Against Moldova there wasn’t much space in behind for Theo to utilise on the counter.  Moldova were playing a largely defensive game limiting the numbers of players they threw forward in attack when in possession.  Walcott is at his most lethal at the point of transition between defence and attack and he has plenty of room to manoeuvre.  There are not many in world football who can rival his speed on the break. 

There did appear to be glimpses of a partnership forming between Lambert and Walcott.  With Lambert dropping deep, holding up the ball and engaging the centre backs further up the pitch he created the space before trying to thread through a pass for Theo to get on the end of.  I was thoroughly impressed by Lambert’s all around link-up play and vision, especially when servicing Welbeck and Walcott whilst preoccupying the centre backs.

Ukraine however will provide a much sterner test than Moldova. With Welbeck suspended for the pivotal encounter it is likely that Hodgson will lean towards the more defensive-minded Milner as his replacement, which in turn will heap more responsibility on Walcott to support Lambert and provide the emphasis of the attacking threat.

Last season at Arsenal Theo started acting more as a leader and became far more vocal on the pitch.  He can now be seen berating his teammates when he does not receive the ball as he wanted it, and hopefully he can start replicating this attitude in England colours to let his midfield know exactly how he needs the ball played to be effective. 

Unbelievably Walcott is still only 24 and has plenty left to give for the Three Lions.  The future is looking bright for Theo; with Wilshere looking likely to nail down a consistent starting position in the midfield he will provide the type of quality service that Walcott can feed off.  Utilising his pace will provide a significant advantage over any opponent and could be the key for success against Ukraine, who themselves will be looking for a decisive lead to win the game and top the group leaving them susceptible to the counter attack.  Walcott could provide the main cutting edge against Ukraine, and if utilised properly he can do so for the national side for many years to come.

Gareth Bale; a Real Conundrum

The 1^st of September will go down in history as the day that a Welshman became the world’s most expensive player, a snip at £85.3 Million.  Since the transfer has been completed there have been plenty of rumours of unrest within the Real camp, as Ozil’s departure has deeply shocked his former team-mates.  Bale will have plenty to do to convince his new colleagues that he is a capable replacement for the creative Ozil whilst adjusting to a new league, a new language, and a new life in Spain.

You only need to look at Bale’s record last season to see the impact he can have on a game.  In 2012-13 Bale scored 21 goals and created 7 assists, which led him to win PFA Players' Player of the Year, the Young Player of the Year and the FWA (Football Writer's Association) Player of the Year Award.  It is clear to see what attracted Real’s president Florentino Pérez, to the acquisition of such a prize, but there doesn't seem to have been much thought in how Gareth would fit into the system and work in unison with Ronaldo.  Ancelotti has quite a task on his hands; fitting a wealth of talent into a fully functioning system and unifying a dressing room clearly upset with Ozil’s departure.  Gareth Bale has done his best to sooth Ronaldo’s ego by referring to him as the boss, and it will be interesting to see how the two can work in tandem and how Ronaldo will react on and off the pitch to Bale’s heftier price tag and higher wages. 

One of Bale’s great strengths is his ability to cross the ball which could prove fruitful for Ronaldo due his prowess in the air, though Bale may find it difficult to deliver as well from the right than from his preferred role on the left.  Bale was used in a variety of positions by Villas Boas last year, on the left and the right and the free-roaming role, though you may doubt he will be allowed the same level of freedom with the depth of attacking talent on display at Madrid.  Real did experiment by playing Ronaldo upfront in pre-season though he did not seem comfortable with the switch and you don’t want to mess with anything that affects such a dependable goal scorer.  Benzema looks nailed on to retain his place as the main striker, as does Khedira at the base of the midfield and Xabi Alonso alongside when fit.  Isco the other expensive summer addition will be filling the attacking midfielder spot vacated by Ozil which leaves Gareth on the right of the front three.  Bale will have to prove his versatility as he can only cut inside on to his favoured left boot so many times before defenders will start to lead him down the flank to deliver a cross with his weaker right.  Robben at Bayern is a master of evading this tactic; he somehow manages to cut in on his stronger left and get a shot off when all defenders try and lead him down the line and Gareth may be able to learn a thing or 2 from this wily customer.

Bale will hope that he can hit the ground running and put these misgivings to one side, though this may be difficult as he was unable to complete a pre-season and his fitness may be in question.  Madrid have purchased one of the best players in the world, only behind Messi and Ronaldo in the pecking order.  He is a special player and I have no doubt that he can adapt to his new position and it’s more of a question of when and not if.  Bale will have to get used to playing second fiddle to Ronaldo, though if these 2 can create a good partnership the speed and incisiveness on the counter-attack will be a terrifying weapon in the Madrid armoury and a sight to behold for any football fan.  Like many of his predecessors Ancelotti now faces the enviable task of fitting the wonderful array of talent into the jigsaw of a fully functional balanced team.  Still, I’m sure it is a conundrum that many a manager would love to face.