Revitalised Finisher Theo Walcott Helps Sloppy Arsenal Past Swansea

Theo Walcott is so unrecognisable from last season that Arsenal fans could be forgiven for momentarily believing he’d been sold off and replaced by a lookalike in the No. 14 shirt.

His insipid performances of 2015/16 have been forgotten, as he has discovered a new lease of life with the Gunners. Two goals against Swansea City on Saturday, his fourth and fifth in the Premier League this season, helped Arsenal to a vital three points that took them level with Manchester City at the top of the table.

It was noticeable that Walcott was much more effective here than he was on international duty. There had been considerable excitement about how his electric club form might translate to the England team, but caretaker manager Gareth Southgate couldn’t coax a convincing performance from the winger. 

Nevertheless, Arsene Wenger did not lose faith. Asked in the buildup to the Swansea match whether Walcott had disappointed for the Three Lions, he told reporters:

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I wouldn't say that. You're a bit harsh there. [The Slovenia match] was a difficult game for England. ...

It's more difficult for the strikers because they live from the balls they get. One of the main qualities of Theo is the quality of his runs so it depends also on the quality of the service. 

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Wenger hit the nail on the head. It’s ludicrous to expect identical performances from Walcott for club and country. England are in transition, still trying to find their attacking identity. At Arsenal, Walcott knows the style of play intimately, and he is clicking brilliantly with his team-mates.

Much of it is to do with a positional switch. Walcott spent much of last season staking a claim for a role as a centre-forward. He had spent much of his career coveting the position, but it seemed as if the transition came too late. Walcott struggled with some fundamentals of playing as a striker—principally operating with his back to goal and bringing other team-mates into play.

He has refocused on playing on the right wing, and the decision has brought immediate dividends. Walcott suddenly looks at home. With the mobile Alexis Sanchez playing as Arsenal’s No. 9, plenty of space opens up in central areas for Walcott to exploit. 

So it proved against Swansea. When Hector Bellerin headed the ball back across goal, Walcott had taken up a classic poacher’s position and was able to bundle it into the net. His starting position may be out on the flank, but Walcott is behaving like a predatory goalscorer. 

JUSTIN TALLIS/Getty Images

That much was evident on his second goal too. When a corner dropped inside the six-yard box, it was Walcott who had assumed the perfect position and was able to swivel and fire beyond Swans goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. He is showing the awareness and intelligence to sniff out opportunities and the consummate confidence to finish them. 

The one disappointment for Walcott will be that he finished the game without the match ball. He had two particularly good opportunities in the second half to seal his hat-trick, both fashioned by substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. For the first, he shifted his weight to cut inside but saw his shot bounce agonisingly off the inside of the post. He then somehow side-footed a stoppage-time effort against the top of the bar when it looked easier to score.

While Wenger admitted to the press Walcott should have added more goals, he was keen to emphasise the positives: "He could have had a hat-trick, or even four, because he had another chance from Oxlade-Chamberlain. But he scored two goals. I think he’s got seven now, that’s quite encouraging. ... He’s much more resilient."

Walcott is showing the kind of form that makes players undroppable.

Perhaps competition is partly what’s inspiring him to perform in this manner. When a player such as Oxlade-Chamberlain comes off the bench and makes a strong cameo, it shows Walcott can not afford to let his level drop. Speaking to his team's official site about the rivalry that exists within the squad, he said:

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There’s always been competition for places when you’re at such a big club. It gets the best out of everyone, but when you’re called upon, you need to be able to make the difference, and like I say, everyone’s ready for a very tight Premier League. You can’t really call it now, but all we’ve got to do is just control ourselves. That’s all we can do. Keep on doing that, and we’ll be fine I’m sure.

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Walcott is not the only Arsenal player looking more clinical this season. The Swansea match took place on Mesut Ozil’s birthday, and he marked the occasion with a third Premier League goal in six starts. 

Julian Finney/Getty Images

It was a stunning strike. When Alexis picked out the German with a high lofted pass, Ozil showed astonishing technique to thump a left-footed volley into the top corner. Afterward, a clearly impressed Wenger told the media:

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It was a great goal. When you see Ozil finishing today, you think a little bit that he doesn’t take his chances to shoot enough. When you see him in training, he scores basically when he wants. You speak with the 'keepers, and he’s one of the most difficult players to predict where he’ll put the ball. In the game, I’m happy that he gets goals, and I hope that gives him the taste to try more.

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Ozil, who has long been known as Arsenal’s creator-in-chief, has yet to record a Premier League assist this season. Perhaps he is slowly becoming more selfish in front of goal. On the evidence of the Swansea game, that’s no bad thing.

Walcott and Ozil’s improved finishing is a sign of Arsenal’s mounting confidence. This is a team growing in conviction, both individually and collectively. It’s justifiable too—this result against Swansea means they’ve won six consecutive games.

It looked for a time as though Manchester City might have the capability to run away with this league. If Walcott and Arsenal can keep playing like this, they could push them all the way.

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.