Should Walcott start for England?
by Adam Marshall, 08 October 2008
Should Theo Walcott start for England on Saturday against Kazakhstan after his hat-trick heroics in Croatia? Surprisingly, Chris Waddle argues for his exclusion.
We take a look at the argument for the Arsenal winger being selected by Fabio Capello and Setanta pundit Waddle's reasons for shunting the ex-Southampton starlet to the sidelines.
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ARGUMENT FOR: Adam Marshall
Theo Walcott has already proved that pace can influence international matches and is a shoo-in to retain his place in the England team.
After a nervous start, he displayed great composure in front of goal to tuck in a remarkable hat-trick in Croatia and reward Fabio Capello for his bold selection.
England had been too rigid in their play and less than exciting to watch at times. Their play was too slow and methodical and was not borrowing enough from the speed and power that makes The Premier League so utterly thrilling.
David Beckham, for all his critics in the media, is still a class act and should not be jettisoned completely. Instead, he should be considered for a more central role when the game dictates, but he never was an out-and-out winger and the time has come to allow a speed merchant to patrol the right flank.
Walcott has emerged as the pick of the crop of contenders and nobody can argue against that statement on the back of his Zagreb heroics. Although some feel he is largely unproven, the former Southampton starlet can beat a man with ease. This is the hard part. Once that skill is acquired, the rest should come with expert coaching.
Those who point to his poor first touch have got to remember he is still on 19 and is learning from the master in terms of Arsene Wenger's ability to teach footballing skills to natural athletes.
Aaron Lennon, Shaun Wright-Phillips and David Bentley have also been contenders for a right-wing slot but Walcott has stolen a march on all of them. Lennon desperately needs to find an end product to go with his pace, Wright-Phillips is rebuilding his career back at Manchester City and will come again while Bentley possesses good technique and crossing ability but, like Beckham, lacks speed.
Walcott must gain in confidence from his experiences and is starting to produce more of a regular threat at Arsenal. The more he is trusted by club and country, the more comfortable he should become in being able to express his talents.
Whenever you think of this raw talent, the mind wanders back to that Champions League tie at Anfield earlier in the year when his incredible run teed up Emmanuel Adebayor and showed exactly what he is capable of producing on the big stage. Two goals in Germany for the Under-21s also served real notice of his abilities.
Dropping Walcott now is simply not an option for Capello. Barring injury, he will surely be in the team to face Kazakhstan at Wembley, hoping to keep things high-tempo after the shackles were thrown off in Croatia.
With the home fans looking certain to get behind the team as they hope to usher in a new entertaining era, the trip to Belarus could prompt more caution in the manager's selection.
However, Capello shrugged off the negative Italian stereotype when plumping for Walcott in the group's hardest game, at least on paper, so he is likely to unleash the teenager in Minsk as well.
The one worry with the Arsenal whizz-kid is injury. Intriguingly, both Capello and Wenger mentioned this when discussing the potential of the Gunners forward.
With both experienced bosses showing concern that he could become derailed it is natural to share this fear particularly in light of other fast youngsters who became dogged by hamstring problems and other niggles.
Walcott is still lightweight. He looked like he had been broken in two by one of numerous uncompromising challenges by Josip Simunic last week. Clearly shaken, it looked at one point as though he might need to be replaced.
Thankfully, that did not happen and he went on to exact the perfect revenge and show little sign of being bullied out of his stride.
But he is a delicate, precious diamond that needs to be nurtured carefully. We must not get carried away with one good half against Andorra and a stunning display of finishing in Croatia.
Yet to talk of dropping him at this stage is sheer folly as the time has come for Theo Walcott to make his mark with England. Luckily, the next couple of games are already on the horizon.
ARGUMENT AGAINST: Chris Waddle
I don't see Theo Walcott as the traditional-style 'tricky' winger, like John Barnes and I were in our playing days.
He's very quick and beats players with his pace rather than tricks and cleverness. His ideal ball is not the one to his feet so he can take players on. Instead, it's between the centre half and full back so that he can open his legs, get behind the defence and chase it.
I don't ever really see Walcott run at opponents, go outside them and beat them one on one. More often than not, he picks up the ball in his own half, runs with it and, with his pace, he gets to the byline without his opponents getting anywhere near him.
But now for a note of caution. Although his acceleration is an obvious gift, maybe it's covering cracks in his game which he will need to fix in time.
When a match is tight and teams are sitting on the 18-yard box and defending deeply, he needs to develop another side of his game to break down the opposition.
Walcott will quickly discover that international football is not as simple as the domestic game - you can't just rely on your pace. Teams tend to sit deep and they provide a different challenge from the one you face in The Premier League when you are pressed a lot more, especially when you are playing away from home.
So his speed may not always be the answer, and he might find himself sitting on the subs' bench more often than he would like.
This is the first year in which people have been able to see enough of the Arsenal youngster in order to take note of his style and the way he likes to play.
Next season, he simply won't be a surprise to the opposition. Coaches will have much more of an idea of how to stop him from causing damage. And that's when he will have to add an extra level to his game.
He didn't play particularly well against Sunderland on Saturday and he is still learning his trade. It's not even clear in which position he is best suited - centre forward or as a winger. Time will tell.
Despite his hat-trick, Walcott began the match very poorly in Croatia. He couldn't control the ball, he looked very edgy and nervous.
I would even go so far as to say that I wouldn't necessarily pick him on the right flank against Kazakhstan and Belarus. If Fabio Capello uses injured Joe Cole's absence to make room for Steven Gerrard, then I think Manchester City's Shaun Wright-Phillips is a better bet than the Arsenal man.
I know Walcott grabbed the headlines and all the attention the last time he wore an England shirt and everybody went 'wow' but that was a month or so ago.
Since then, it is Wright-Phillips who has been the star turn in The Premier League as far as right wingers go.
I would definitely start him in the next two games. I know it sounds surprising after Walcott's hat-trick in Zagreb, but, if there is room for only one of them, I hope Capello leaves the Arsenal youngster on the bench.
That would allow him to come on as an impact player if England are chasing the game, which could happen in Belarus, if not at Wembley against Kazakhstan, I hope.
Capello will be under pressure to play Walcott but the Italian boss doesn't mind making tough decisions.
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