Arsenal 4 (Walcott 5′, 14′, 37′, Wilshere 17′) – West Brom 1 (McAuley 57′)
Match Report – Match Highlights – Post-Match Press Conference
Following his positive cameo performance against Sunderland a few days ago, Theo Walcott must have been hoping that he had at least done enough in the final League game of the season against a West Brom side that had secured their Premier League status weeks ago. Walcott got his wishes when Arsene Wenger chose to select him in the middle ahead of Olivier Giroud, that has been really shite lately.
In just 37 minutes, Walcott sealed a magnificent hat-trick that earned him a rapturous ovation when Giroud replaced him in the second half. Wenger had a lot to say about Walcott in the press conference (via Arsenal.com),
“He was already sharp when he came on in our midweek game against Sunderland. He was the one who created the chances and I always said that he could play through the middle because he has good movement, good finishing and he did that well today. He’s a good goalscorer but he has been out for a year. A year in football is a long, long time and it takes more time to come back to your best so that you are sharp and confident. Jack is a bit similar. He has been out for six months and now he is coming back. He had a very convincing performance in the first half.
He’s the right age [to play through the middle]. He’s 26 years old, it’s a good age for a footballer. I wish that he stays free of injuries now. He had a few downs on the injury front and that’s never good. You have to be consistently present to express your full potential. Without his hat-trick or with his hat-trick, we want him to stay. We are in negotiations and we have started to speak with his agent. We did that before he scored his hat-trick. Last time he got injured he was playing centre forward in a very convincing game against Tottenham Hotspur in January. He got injured and was out for a year. On that day he was injured playing up front.”
The road to recovery hasn’t been an easy one for Walcott that has had to contend with a career-threatening injury as well as coming back into a team in good vein of form. However, Walcott must have felt really bad losing his place to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as well as Aaron Ramsey, that was deployed on the right wing ahead of the Englishman. With his goalscoring haul in the weekend, will Wenger be tempted to hand him a start against Aston Villa in the FA Cup final?
Walcott actually played through the middle, a position that has been occupied by Giroud all season long but he somehow can’t seem to add to the 17 goals he notched up in such quick succession. Whether Walcott plays in the middle or on the flanks, it’s going to be interesting to see how Wenger manages the situation.
Well, that’s what he’s paid to do.
Sayonara.
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