Earlier this week Arsene Wenger told the press that this was a big season for Alex Oxlade Chamberlain. Goalscorer in the recent 3-1 pre season win, Chamberlain is showing encouraging signs that this could finally be his break through year.
It was interesting how Wenger singled out Chamberlain. The England international joined the club from Southampton back in 2011, just over a year since he had made his professional debut with the South Coast club aged 16.
Whilst showing glimpses of his potential, Chamberlain has been plagued by injuries and has struggled to compete for the limited places on offer at Arsenal. Now aged 22, Wenger clearly feels it is time for him to demonstrate why Arsenal have shown so much faith in him.
“He has it all. That’s why I would like him to get to the level he can go to.” Arsene Wenger on Alex Oxlade Chamberlain
But whilst Wenger has upped the pressure on Chamberlain to preform on a more consistent basis, it would be wrong to ignore the other English players that have flattered to deceive in their time at Arsenal.
Rumours circulating that Jack Wilshere had picked up a knock were indeed true and now means he will miss Arsenal’s final two games of pre season including the final game against Manchester City on Sunday. Although it would be harsh to say Wilshere has yet to show his true potential due to his terrible injury record, it has become a recurring story for Arsenal fans hearing that Wilshere is injured again.
Football fans’ jovial attitude means they can brush of these injuries off as just ‘typical Wilshere’ but as the years roll by, there will be growing concerns that the excitement and promise may never materialise. Wilshere is different to many of the Arsenal players in the sense that he was brought directly through the academy at an early age. Making his debut at 16 there was real hope that he could become a true home grown legend at the club.
Sadly his legacy so far has been centred around time spent with the physio and unwanted press stories regarding his private life. If it proves to be another season of injury misery for Wilshere, he may find that the fans love for him starts to wain.
Whilst Wenger has shown nothing but loyalty to players with abysmal injury records (messrs Diaby and Rosicky spring to mind) it will be hard for him to justify the rumours surrounding Wilshere’s new deal. Currently earning £90,000 a week and with two years left, talk has been circulating that Wenger is keen to tie Wilshere down with an extension and presumably increase his wages in the process. It would be hard to convince anyone this was the right thing to do if the player only participates in a handful of games a season.
But it isn’t just Wilshere that needs to prove his worth. Theo Walcott has recently backtracked on his desire to play as an out and out forward; now asking to revert back to his old position on the wing.
Again another player with a poor injury record, Walcott finally enjoyed a relatively injury free season last year. Sadly this was the only consistency for him as he struggled to secure a regular starting roll. His poor display at Old Trafford stands out – being substituted after an hour despite facing a makeshift back four and a Manchester United team seemingly in crisis.
A scapegoat that day, Walcott never recovered and paid the price for his dip in form being left out of Roy Hodgson’s Euro squad. Many including myself believed he would move on this summer however with reports suggesting he will be playing as a winger once again, it is likely he will stay and fight for his place once again.
Walcott appears better suited to the wide role, with his pace offering Arsenal another element to their game which can at times become predictable. With Wenger sticking to the 4-2-3-1 system, it relies on a solitary striker not only with pace but the physical ability to hold up the ball and find themselves on the end of crosses. How fans would love to put Walcott’s best attributes with Giroud’s.
However Walcott will hope he can return to the position where he has shown his best glimpses. The right wing was of course the position he occupied on his most famous night in 2008 where he scored a hat trick in England’s world cup qualifier in Croatia. The fact that this 8 years ago highlights the point that Walcott’s time really is becoming now or never.
Click here to watch Walcott’s stunning hat trick that night.
Walcott’s decision to change position will cause Alex Oxlade Chamberlain a headache. Now that a similar player will be vying for the same spot makes things harder but nothing is healthier for a team than competition for places.
Whether these three men can indeed fulfil their potential remains to be seen but surely their time is now. With Arsenal seemingly making the same mistakes season after season and Wenger’s stubborn transfer policy following the usual trend so far this summer, the need for these three to finally breakthrough as established first team players hasn’t been greater.
First priority for all three will be to stay fit and healthy but they must now match that consistency in fitness with performances on the pitch. They may have once been the future for the club, but now is the present and time for them show Wenger, the fans and the watching world just what they can do. Otherwise they run the risk of joining the infamous list of football’s nearly men.
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