Arsenal dug in to safe a draw at Manchester Metropolis in a vital title battle on Sunday – and former Gunners winger Theo Walcott thinks their new-found ‘nasty’ streak may very well be pivotal of their makes an attempt to win the league.
The Gunners have been hit by accidents and suspensions in current weeks, with key man Martin Odegaard dominated out, however Walcott thinks their possibilities of profitable the title this yr are good.
‘Arsenal have gotten an important likelihood of profitable the league… and I nonetheless really feel like they’ll’
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta (Picture credit score: Alamy)
“That hasn’t modified after the weekend, I nonetheless really feel like Arsenal have gotten an important likelihood of profitable the league, and I nonetheless really feel like they’ll,” the 35-year-old instructed FourFourTwo .
“Sure gamers aren’t taking part in, shedding Odegaard actually takes the creativity out of the entire workforce, however they’re so regimented in the way in which they defend as a unit, all of them have one mindset – speaking to workers on the membership, the backroom workers all have that mindset as nicely, everyone seems to be so optimistic across the place and that feeds into the workforce.
Arsenal have misplaced Martin Odegaard to damage (Picture credit score: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC by way of Getty Photos)
“You’d have taken some extent firstly of the sport on Sunday. Mikel gained’t dwell on the very fact they misplaced two factors, he gained’t fear about that, the video games the place they tousled beforehand are in opposition to the West Hams and Fulhams, these are those they’ll’t afford to lose.
“They’re good groups, however for Arsenal to win the league, they wish to be profitable these video games, as a result of Manchester Metropolis don’t actually lose them.”
For a few years, Arsenal had been considered too good to win the Premier League, missing the metal that they used to have throughout the early seasons underneath Arsene Wenger.
The Gunners confirmed a more durable facet on the Etihad, accused of using the darkish arts to interrupt up the sport and cease Manchester Metropolis securing victory.
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“I believe there’s positively a facet of Arsenal that’s a bit nasty now,” stated Walcott, who’s additionally now an envoy of the membership. “Being round them in pre-season and seeing how bodily robust and large they’re, we take a look at the Arsene Wenger groups of the Invincibles, they had been large guys and it’s coming again to that now. They’re not afraid of anybody.
“They confirmed a special facet the place they annoyed Man Metropolis to pictures from distance, it was simply that after the place they switched off.
“It’s good to sluggish the sport down if you’ve acquired 10 males. It’s not nice for the impartial, I perceive that, nevertheless it’s a outcomes enterprise and other people will look again on it in the event that they find yourself profitable the league, and that was the second, that time at Metropolis.”
‘I’m an enormous fan of Timber’
Jurrien Timber has impressed Theo Walcott this season (Picture credit score: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC by way of Getty Photos)
Walcott has been notably impressed this season with Dutch defender Jurrien Timber, who joined Arsenal a yr in the past however rapidly sustained a cruciate ligament damage.
After making his restoration, this time period he’s established himself as an everyday, first at left-back, after which beginning forward of Ben White at right-back on the Etihad.
“I’m an enormous fan of Timber,” Walcott stated on a go to to the KickX enviornment, the place he has invested .
“He’s gone via an enormous damage and when somebody goes via an damage like that, like Tino Livramento who I used to be at Southampton with, seeing them undergo it, it’s not straightforward.
“However Timber suits wherever within the again 4, he can adapt and when you might have gamers like that, no-nonsense, he’s acquired a presence about him, I’m an enormous fan of his.”
