Is Theo Walcott a football genius or is he overrated?
2008-10-17
- Would you stick with Walcott?
Is Theo Walcott a football genius or is he overrated?
ARTICLE BY Shane Edwards
He burst onto the scene against Croatia, and he's burst off of it again against Kazakhstan and Belraus.
Theo Walcott's dismantling of Slaven Bilic's side last month was hailed as the beginning of a new era.
After his shock inclusion in Sven-Goran Eriksson's 2006 World Cup squad, the Arsenal winger had been quiet as he tried to find his feet at a big Premier League club. But at 19, his coming of age had apparently arrived in Zagreb with a hat-trick that brought plaudits the world over.
"He must start every game" proclaimed Tony Cascarino, and the former Chelsea and Republic of Ireland striker was not alone.
Fabio Capello listened and picked Walcott in an unfamiliar 4-3-3 formation against the Kazakhs. It didn't work. Even Walcott admitted he had a poor game with England only recording their flattering 5-1 scoreline once the team shape had been changed and Walcott had been substituted.
Then last night, Walcott was once again a peripheral figure in the white shirt and this time there were no excuses as Capello learned from his mistake and fielded his line-up in a 4-4-2 right from the start.
Is this a good learning curve for the teenager? Should the manager persevere while England are winning and he is gaining experience? Or are competitive World Cup qualifiers not the place to learn your trade?
Should Walcott still be one of the first names on the team-sheet or has he had his chance? Should Shaun Wright-Phillips be given the wide right role instead? Or David Beckham?
Is Theo Walcott a football genius or is he overrated?
Source: Timesonline
This in my opinion is typical of the British media. Walcott was hailed a wonderkid after his superb performance against Croatia, however just two games on and they are already questioning whether he is overrated...
The answer of course is yes. Certain pudits went overboard after the Croatia game and hailed Walcott as the next England superstar. Even Wenger came out saying not to expect the same performance and that it was a one off. Walcott is a fantastic talent, however he is still very young. We should not expect performances like that everytime he pulls on an England shirt, and he should also not be an automatic selection purely based on one performance.
I would stick with him for now, however he would need to up his game in order to keep that shirt, with Shaun Wright-Phillips hot on his heals.
Do you agree? Would you stick with Walcott? Do you think he is a football genius or is he overrated?
ARTICLE BY Shane Edwards
