Arsenal Reaping Benefits of Theo Walcott's Superb Transformation

When Theo Walcott scores a header, you know he’s on top of his game. In 10 years with Arsenal, the sprightly winger has only managed two headed goals, but the manner in which he nodded home against Basel suggested a player brimming with confidence. Walcott, who appeared to be headed for Arsenal’s exit door at the start of the summer, is a player transformed.

Arsenal have undergone something of a reinvention, too. After the opening-day defeat to Liverpool, there were understandable fears about how the team might fare in Arsene Wenger’s 20th season. However, they have responded to that initial setback remarkably well.

The Gunners are now unbeaten in eight, and this win over Basel leaves them top of their Champions League group and on course to pip Paris Saint-Germain to that crucial top spot.

Against Basel, they were irresistible. Buoyed by the confidence gained in the 3-0 win over Chelsea, Arsenal attacked the Swiss side with real vigour from the first minute. Arguably the only thing slightly lacking from their game was truly clinical finishing. Had the Gunners been ruthless, they could have scored several more goals. 

No matter—they did more than enough to win the game, and when Basel did occasionally threaten, the likes of Shkodran Mustafi and David Ospina were on alert to protect their goal.

Comforting though Arsenal’s defensive solidity was, it was their attacking play that really caught the eye. For the first time in months—perhaps years—Arsenal played with the sort of elan and style that is traditionally associated with a Wenger side.

The truth is that Arsenal’s reputation for flowing football has not been particularly earned in recent seasons—with Olivier Giroud up front, their attacking threat had become troublingly predictable. However, the Gunners have discovered a new attacking formula that has enlivened their entire team. Suddenly, the Emirates Stadium feels like an exciting place to watch football once again. 

Walcott has been key to that shift. His importance to the team comes as a real surprise given that he endured a disastrous 2015/16 campaign. 

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Last season, Wenger fulfilled the player’s long-held ambition to be used as a central striker. However, after a bright start, Walcott struggled in the role.

After 10 years on the flanks, it was difficult for him to make the transition to playing with his back to goal. The degree of close control and spatial awareness required to thrive through the middle appeared beyond him, too. 

For 2016/17, there was a change of tack. In pre-season, Walcott returned to the role on the right wing where he had spent the vast majority of his career. Reverting to more familiar territory has worked a treat—his impact there has been fantastic. 

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Intriguingly, he is popping up in dangerous central positions as regularly as he did when playing as a No. 9. Wenger’s decision to go with Alexis Sanchez as his central striker means that Arsenal’s front line is inherently fluid, and Walcott seems to be benefiting from that.

Take his headed goal against Basel: When Alexis pulled wide on the left, he created a space for the Englishman to dart into, and when Walcott headed past the Basel goalkeeper, he was right in the middle of the goal—a classic poacher’s position. 

It was a similar situation for Arsenal’s second goal against Chelsea in their last Premier League match. Walcott swept the ball home from eight yards out, right between the two Chelsea goalposts. Although he is starting on the flank, Walcott’s ability to interchange positions with Alexis means he is as much of a threat through the middle as ever. 

However, he’s still scoring classic winger’s goals. We saw that against Basel, when he found space between the centre-half and full-back before firing low across the goalkeeper into the far corner. It’s a goal Walcott has scored many times before but rarely with such conviction. 

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Asked about his recent improvement, the player put much of it down to a pre-season head-to-head with Wenger.

He told Callum Davis of the Telegraph: "Me and the manager sat down and I've just looked at myself. I want it more than anyone else, but that's just me and the way that I work now. It's a shame it only hit me a few years ago because there's been a slight change in my attitude ahead of big games."

Wenger, meanwhile, has placed more emphasis on Walcott’s ability to analyse his own deficiencies than any inspiring conversation.

The Gunners boss told his post-match press conference:

"

It is not the chat [that I had with him] which makes you score goals. He assessed where he stands and then rectified what he had to add to his game. That’s down to him, 95 per cent down to him. The rest came from a first half of top quality, the pace, the quality of our movement, our technical quality. We created many dangerous situations.

"

It’s certainly true that Walcott is a beneficiary of the quality of Arsenal’s team game. However, for the first time in a while, he’s also a key contributor to it. 

He hasn’t convinced everyone yet. Roy Keane said on ITV during his work as a pundit (h/t the Telegraph's Davis):  

"

It's taken him a while to get a settle at the club, hasn't it? Ten years?

Listen the guy [Walcott] needs to relax; he's had a good week.

Try playing well for the next seven, eight, nine months when the real crunch games come.

I wouldn't get carried away about Walcott. He's got to keep doing it over the next year or two.

Tonight [vs. Basel] was a lovely game for Arsenal, when they’re in that form they're great to watch. They could've score seven, eight, nine goals easily: a joy to watch.

But the crunch games are coming up for them over the next few months, when the cold nights come in and we'll see half the Arsenal players with their gloves on.

"

Keane has a point—it’s still early in the season, and Walcott must prove this change is permanent rather than temporary.

In this form, few would bet against him. His style is more aggressive and assertive than it has ever been. Keane may have his concerns—but for Walcott, it seems, the gloves are finally off.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout 2016/17. Follow him on Twitter here.