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.
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