1.31 Chances Created, 0.31 Assist Per Game: Why Arsenal Would Be Unstoppable If Walcott Joins Sanchez

The impending return of Theo Walcott from injury has boosted Arsenal’s ranks, and has added a pacier dimension to Arsenal’s attacks. Arsenal will need to focus on their defensive tendencies, as they threw away a three-goal lead in their home game against Anderlecht in the Champions League, to the disgust of their home fans. The return of Theo Walcott will not divert from the defensive problems that have plagued Arsenal, as Arsenal’s attacks have not lacked zip after Alexis Sanchez has slotted into his role, albeit after the injury to Arsenal’s record buy, Mesut Ozil.

Theo Walcott will give Arsenal’s attacks another focal point, and if opposition defenders thought that controlling Alexis Sanchez would be enough to stop Arsenal’s goal-glut, his arrival has come at the right time. Angel di Maria and Steven Gerrard, to name two influential players, have been kept quiet in recent games, as a result of which their teams have suffered. Theo Walcott’s deft crosses whipped in from the wings, or his delightful cutbacks with the ball to leave the attacker in the center with the goal at his mercy have been missed by Arsenal and by England, as he would have formed a deadly combination with Raheem Sterling at the World Cup, who is equally pacy and deadly. For Arsenal, if the combination with Sanchez has not been tantalizing enough, his combination with Welbeck has also been looked forward to. Welbeck gets onto the ball quickly and like Walcott, Sanchez and Oxlade-Chamberlain, his ability to run off the shoulder of the last man in the opposition defence to try and score, while remaining onside will destroy opposition teams in seconds.

From the statistics above, it can be seen that Alexis Sanchez has rounded off this attack. Theo Walcott, prior to this season, was the pacier, more accurate player, who could be depended upon to give his best for Arsenal. He could play on the wings, but he has expressed a desire to play through the centre, which might not be possible with the number of options available to Wenger. He has decent stats, in terms of the chances he creates or his assists. In terms of his successful take-ons, the numbers don’t tell the tale, as he sprints away from his marker with the ball, but tends to lose it at the edge of the opposition penalty area, as he tries to cut in or weigh a cross to a player awaiting a chance to head the ball into the back of the net.

With the added threat that Walcott poses, opposition teams will be stretched to the end of their tether, as Arsenal look more dangerous owing to their pace and positioning, because all of Arsenal’s attackers at capable of stretching the opposition by using the width of the pitch to their advantage. Arsenal’s already strong attack will be strengthened even further with his arrival.

Stats via squawka