What do you guys make of him so far? I was actually really keen on getting him in the first place but tbh he has to an extent disappointed though he has not been given much game time recently. He obviously still needs time to adjust to he pace of the premier league and he may hopefully prove my initial impression of him was correct. However we do have plenty of talent on the wings with the likes of walcott, AOC, (hopefully) podolski and i know a lot of you will disagree with this but i think wenger is going to bring back miyaichi into the fold (remember people said wilhsere was'nt ready either) so we're going to be pretty well stocked in that position and miyaichi aside i doubt any of the players mentioned will be prepared to warm the bench. Gervinho certainly deserves another year or two to prove himself but what do you think..can he do a nasri or koscielny and come back roaring next season or will he still continue to promise while delivering little.
Looked dangerous before he went to the ACN, though wasteful in front of goal. Since he has come back from the tournament he has not found any form.
His finishing is poor, but also his lack of confidence in front of goal is striking (pardon the pun). Take the Chelsea game where he could easily have scored but passed to RVP instead. Worse than this are the 3 or 4 occassions (e.g. against Milan) where he was through but with a covering defender homing in. A decent fella would have just powered forward into box to shoot or get clobbered and get a penalty but this clown slows it down waiting for support. He has done this at least 3 or 4 times this season, and it makes me question his mentality as well as his skill. Maybe his debut where he got Joey Barton'd off affected him, because he looked promising in pre-season. Given a choice I would get rid of him on the proviso that we get someone better.
Indeed. When we signed him it was refreshing to finally get a player who tried to beat a player. Yes, occasionally you'll lose the ball but it's nice to force defenders into committing themselves. Shame he's pap in front of goal but hopefully he'll get better as time goes on. As far as first seasons go there have been far worse examples.
Yeah his biggest weakness does appear to be the lack of a goal scoring touch although ever since he's returned from the AFCON I've rarely see him beat his man either. I hope it's just a matter of getting his confidence back though.
He is the type of player where if he doesn't produce in our attacking play then will not feature in the game, he doesn't tackle or challenge in the air but he is very dangerous when we get the ball, but confidence is a big factor for him, if he can just stay calm and finish his chances then he will become a much better player, some players also take a while to adapt to the epl and next season he might come to life, he will have to if he wants to stay in the team.
Spot on, but it's a little worrying that as the season's progressed he's got a lot worse. At least at the start of the season he pretty much had it all apart from the finishing. Nowadays the attack's pretty much over when the ball gets to him. I just hope it's a "he'll come good next season" thing.
He will be good for us. Hope we sell walcrap and play gervinho alot with oxo next season. He can beat people with ease. Will be a top player if wenger handles him well.
Walcott hs been good for us the past few games (apart from QPR) so maybe he realizes his position is up for grabs and he's stepping up his game I'd keep em and have Theo as a starter/super sub
Walcott has been pretty good - but not great consistently. If the rumours are true that he wants £80k a week, and we could get £20m for him, then it would be good business. Gervinho, OXO, Podolski (if he comes), Myaichi, and RVP (if he stays) can all play wide of a 3 and in the centre of a 3, so we'd have a lot of options to mix things up. depends a lot on what we do in the summer, but either way Walcott could find himself out of the Arsenal first team next season.
Walcott gets accused of a poor first touch, but Gervinho seems to me to be more unsure in possession. He is quick and tricky but I'm not sure he is comfortable enough on the ball (right now), to be a perfect fit for Arsenal.
He does have more control of the ball at pace than Walcott - which is why he finds it easier to beat players. Walcott is a better finisher though.
Well, I don't agree with this, IMO Walcott takes the ball down and into his stride far better than Gervinho. I cant describe it exactly but Gervinho always seems to be have trouble bringing the ball under control. I have never seen him control a ball the way Walcott did for the second goal against AV. I wouldn't trade Walcott for Gervinho as others are suggesting.
Well we definitely watch a different game. Walcott- at pace - continually leaves the ball behind him, or mis-controls it. Are you sure you are not mixing the two of them up???
I think the return of Sagna is the main reason why Walcott is playing well again. His contribution is not only defensively astute, he enables Walcott to effectively attack the right flank. Sagna's contribution to the team as Toldeo pointed out, enables the team to function better as a whole. I rate Sagna as one of the best in the Premier league and possibly in Europe.
The ACN has hampered Ba too. Chaps.... I'm collecting positive rep for a good cause.... Me. Can anyone donate please? If you know me from way back you'll know I'm a harmless addict for rep. Cheers fellas, all the best.
I said it when Ger first joined us. His 1st touch is usually appalling. However, just as been said about Walcott, put a a decent 'Sagnaesque' player behind him and we may see a very different Ger.