Theo Returns To Haunt His Old Home

Arsenal 1 Southampton 1

Premier League

Wednesday 16th December 2020, 6pm

On the upside, a very unwelcome record was avoided, as Arsenal avoided a fifth consecutive home league defeat. And there were signs of life in the sick patient in the form of Bukayo Saka, who showed a willingness to try and makes things happen, resulting in Arsenal’s third goal in their last nine Premier League outings. But overall, pickings were slim if we are looking for the green shoots of recovery in last night’s fixture at home to Southampton, a game that in the old days felt like a guaranteed three points.

The real star of the evening lined up for the visitors, as Theo Walcott both scored the opening goal, and drew the foul that saw an Arsenal player sent off for the third time in recent weeks. It really felt like Arteta’s defence were playing too high a line, even if Theo’s pace isn’t what it used to be. 

At least the manager had the sense to drop Willian and Lacazette, two of the most underperforming players in this inglorious run. Pepe and Nketiah came in, but didn’t really offer too much more. Ceballos and Maitland-Niles started in place of the suspended Xhaka and Bellerin. So changes without it feeling like a major shake-up. Some felt it might be worth looking at Balogun from the start of a game, and it can’t be long before Emile Smith Rowe gets a chance to pull the strings in a Premier League game. 

Once Arsenal had established parity a few minutes into the second half, as Nketiah and Aubameyang combined well to finish off Saka’s penetrative dribble, you felt there was a decent chance they could actually win the game. Gabriel received two yellow cards in the ten minutes that followed, which more or less put paid to that. The second an attempt to stop Walcott breaking away from the halfway line and repeating his earlier goal.

It was indicative at one point in the first half to see Edu in the directors’ box shaking his head at what he was seeing from the Arsenal team. There feels a collective slump around the club at present, and the only way that I can see things being reinvigorated is the selection of younger, hungrier players. Sure they will drop points, but the season’s a write-off already anyway. Let’s use it to start laying the foundations for a future turnaround of fortunes. Persuade Balogun he will get game time – him being kept out of sight isn’t going to prevent him leaving on a free next summer, so let’s make the most of his talent in the hope he might stay. Smith Rowe looks hungry. Saka we already know about. Some of the more spirited established squad members can be played as well – Tierney, Gabriel and Holding. It’s worth taking a look at Pablo Mari. Maybe Thomas Partey can remain fit. Ainsley Maitland-Niles has to be worth a run. 

Holding almost got his team a surprise victory hitting the woodwork with a header late on, although Southampton did similar earlier in the second half. By the end of the game, having played half an hour with ten men, a point was at least an improvement. But there was no genuine indication that this team is going to suddenly re-find its groove, and going to an Everton team who are doing better this season under Carlo Ancelotti at the weekend is going to require a step up in performance to avoid defeat.

Theo Walcott was inconsistent in his seasons at Arsenal, but had some very decent games when he did get it right. That Everton have loaned him to his first club indicates that his inability to deliver regularly is still an issue, even in the twilight of his career. Last night, he came good. I often think of Arsene Wenger’s Emirates era as the Walcott years. The team had some great moments, but were never reliable enough to genuinely challenge for the big prizes. Incremental decline took place as the gap between the Gunners and the prize-winning clubs widened. Right now, it feels like it has become a chasm. People are wondering if there are three worse teams in the division and recalling 1974-75, when they flirted with relegation under Bertie Mee. 

Arteta needs to play the players that have commitment and desire to get out of this hole, and certain of his best choices are not fit, or in Gabriel’s case, suspended. Arteta may be a quality coach, in terms of working with footballers to individually improve them. He may even be strong tactically, given better players to carry out his instruction. But as a manager of men, well… the art of top-level football management in the 21st Century is the ability to motivate millionaires. Some might equate that with p*ssing in the wind…

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