2 weeks ago
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Theo Walcott has been impressed with Arsenal's Premier League title challenge and believes the Gunners are also well-equipped to win the Champions League this season
Former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott considers Mikel Arteta's squad genuine contenders to claim both the Champions League and Premier League crowns - and has tipped Viktor Gyokeres to demonstrate his quality during the campaign. Walcott experienced title races under Arsene Wenger and recognises this campaign could represent the Gunners' finest opportunity to secure that elusive league triumph, having reached a stage where both Liverpool and Manchester City find themselves playing catch-up.
Arsenal are three points clear of second-place City, with Liverpool a further point adrift after suffering a third straight league defeat on Sunday. The Gunners themselves got the better of Fulham on Saturday, and have the best defensive record in the league with just three goals conceded.
"I do feel like they're (Arsenal) more equipped to win the Champions League this year than they ever have [been] as well, which then believes they could win the league as well for me," Walcott told The Mirror ahead of Tuesday's European encounter against Atletico Madrid. "I still feel like Man City have got a big question to ask. I really do.
He maintains Arsenal can get better too, arguing Gyokeres in particular can reach a higher level when he gets into his rhythm. The crucial factor for Walcott remains Arsenal's squad depth, alongside players' readiness to wait patiently when not featuring in the starting XI.
Earlier title pursuits were derailed after injuries to crucial personnel, be that William Saliba in 2023 or Kai Havertz last term, but Walcott thinks Arteta's squad is well-placed despite Havertz and Martin Odegaard currently being unavailable through injury. "You look at Man City, their best teams when they won the league on the numerous occasions, they've always had the second player come in, he's better than the first, pretty much, and that tends to be the pattern [at Arsenal] at the moment," he continued.
"Myles Lewis-Skelly can't get a game at this moment in time. We're talking about England's up-and-coming left-back, he can't even get into the team. He's found it difficult for minutes, which isn't a bad thing because you see a different side of a player, how they react..
"I think it's important Mikel's probably monitored that, and the harmony is fine. That's one thing that could disrupt it, when you bring an amount of players, but essentially, they all understand they needed the help, they couldn't just constantly rely on the likes of [Bukayo] Saka and Odegaard and people like that."
Even the form of Gyokeres isn't worrying Walcott. The £64m striker hasn't scored in more than a month, but his off-the-ball work hasn't gone unnoticed.
"Maybe he could get a bit more aggressive at times, he could use his body even more because I think he's got it in him, but I've been happy with what I've seen," Walcott said.
"He could well be the difference in just occupying defences in a different way. And again, he's a goal threat in set pieces, which is obviously the main key, the main Arsenal battle.
"A lot of people spoke about him not scoring a lot of goals, but for me, he's creating chances, he's creating havoc, he's creating chances for other people, he's getting the best out of other players. When you have players that are unselfish, he does his unselfish runs, and it keeps on doing it, he doesn't stop, that's a good player for me."
Walcott has been particularly impressed with how Gyokeres has managed to bring out the best in his teammates, even during matches where he hasn't found the net himself. "When I say he's a problem, he likes to put the centre halves on the back foot, he likes to go and be high and it gives more access to freedom for the likes of [Ebere] Eze and Saka because he's basically occupying a couple of defenders," he explained.
"Mikel's already said as well, he likes to destroy centre halves. And even if he's not scoring goals, he's still a problem for me. He's the difference of Arsenal not drawing as many. I think that's the difference going into the Premier League."
Whether the Atleti fixture will provide the platform for Gyokeres to end that goal drought is another question, though, particularly given Diego Simeone's tactical approach on the road. "We all watch Atletico [and] we know what to expect from them," Walcott continued.
"They're solid, they frustrate. But having said that, they'll be very tidy at set pieces. So there's not many weaknesses in there in the defensive structure for me, so that's why when I say Arsenal and Atletico are similar, that's what I mean - they're very similar in those circumstances where they actually all work together in a defensive structure.
"It'll be interesting if [Arteta] allows them to have a ball a lot more and maybe sit back from them, and be a bit of a stalemate. That's why I'm saying It's going to be an interesting dynamic to understand the flow of the game, because Atletico are comfortable just not having the ball. They don't mind. They want to go to Arsenal and get a draw like they [tried] with Liverpool, they want to try and get a result like that.
"I don't think they really go into many games, particularly away from home, to win it. At home they're solid. obviously they've dominated recently and they've scored a lot of goals, which surprises a lot. However, it's the personnel where Arsenal, where it's not working... you can try something different, because they have those options."
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