Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain do you think he can become better than Walcott?

[(not THE) Kevin Moore]

Honestly, I don't actually think Alex is playing all that well at the moment and there has only been maybe one match this season where I've thought he's been the difference.

 

He's hugely fast and that's about 75% of his game, and it terrifies defenders when he runs at them. But he hasn't been doing that much recently, his crossing is hit and miss, he's not up to much defensively, and as soon as he's pulled inside and doesn't get the 1-on-1 situations with defenders he loses most of his effectiveness.

 

He's got a solid enough touch, his passing is decent most of the time and his decision-making is quick, so he's got the basics, but he could turn into a bit of a one trick-pony if he doesn't improve his effectiveness all-round. Though having said that it hasn't hurt the likes of Lennon and Pennant - but they're much better players at the moment, Alex is merely showing the potential to be at that level and better.

 

I was going to liken him to Lennon as well, I think he's much closer to being a lennon type player than a Walcott, he's strong, quick and direct, much like Lennnon.

 

Whereas Walcott has great balance, the ability to ghost past players and is an instinctive finisher (his crossing isn't brilliant but then he's played most of his best games for Arsenal on the right of a front 3).

 

I do rate Chamberlain, but I don't think he's a 'unique' player, that's not to say he can't improve exponentially and become a great one.

[rolosfc]

He has got the potential to be as good as Walcott, but I do feel the hype has been a bit over the top. However we do sometimes forget he is only 17.

 

I also think we forget how well Walcott has actually done. Just because it has taken him a few years to get in the Arsenal first team fairly regularly and the World Cup fiasco in 2006, some people seem to think he has been a bit of a flop, forgetting that he regularly plays and scores in the Prem and Champs League.

[Barry the Badger]

I think it could go either way. He could keep improving and become amazing, or he could stall (see jermaine pennant). It really is almost impossible to tell with young players. Even with a great attitude some never push on from where they are at 17/18.

[JackanorySFC]

The ability of some forum members to forget history on here never ceases to amaze me! Wallcott was THE stand out player for us in 05/06, we relied compltely on a 16/17 year old kid in a side better than our starting 11 now. He tore that division up, was it a suprise? Yes, but not a massive one considering Theo was THE stand out player in his age catagory in EUROPE since he was 14. He broke all Rooneys age and scoring records for Englnd U17, 19 & 21 - Barca, Man U, Arsenal etc were siffing around from when he was 15. I saw him play a handful of times in our (almost) all conquering youth side in 03/04 (or 04/05?) and he stood a mile out and people were going crazy for him. When he was the same age as Oxo he was definately superior, you simply cannot deny that?

 

His progress at Arsenal has been brilliant, they are the best footballing side in the UK and their emphisis on long term development of a squad has greatly helped Theo, training with Van Persie, Henry, Fabrigas etc has turned him into a devastating footballer that was responsible for ngland's most convincing win in a competetitive match since the 5-1 in Munich, has scared the best team ever? Barcelona on more than 1 occasion, scored in cup finals and is a first choice for Capello and Wenger at 21 years old.

 

Not bad for a sprinter with no footballing brain!

[The9]

Delgado looked good on youtube . . .

 

Delgado WAS good, just not for us very often.

 

And that compilation of Theo stuff was ALL from before he left Saints, which is a reasonable comparison with what AOC has done so far - it's not as if we're taking the skills out of context either, most of us would have seen it all at the time and just forgotten just HOW good Theo was.

[(not THE) Kevin Moore]

There's a lot of old sh1te written about Walcott.

 

Just because Waddle (a hero of mine and someone who should know better) and Hansen castigate him (Hansen by carefully selecting isolated moments in a game where Theo scored a ******* HAT-TRICK, monents that PROVE he can't cross, and has no end product... even though there were other moments in the game where Theo showed excellent awareness to cut the ball back to team-mates instead of going for the standards 'sling it across the box' approach... ignored by Hansen cos it doesn't support his argument).

 

Theo is about more than just pace and to claim he is 'static' and doesn't know how to create space for himself... is plainly bonkers, he's all about finding space and getting in behind his man.

 

Apart from his pace it's his balance that enables him to change direction better than other players, ally that to pace and you unsettle defenders, then add in his skill and his instinctive finishing and you've (almost) got the complete player.

 

He DOES have problems with injuries but if you consider how many games he's missed this season and how many goals he's scored (in ALL competitions), it's very impressive. Also he has TWICE caused Barca all kinds of problems in games against them and you wonder what Arsenal might have achieved had Theo been fit to play the second leg and provide a link between the midfield and Van Persie.

 

For those that argue 'anyone' could score loads for Arsenal... I give you Niclas Bendtner....

[sammysaint]

Since his media hype teams have focused on keeping him marked and watched by there team leaving the fact lallana is the better player to tear them up, few games I seen 1st 30 mins he's been poor as teams are keeping him quiet and then allowing lallana freedom then they switch focus and realise Adam is the man to watch.

 

Same sort of thing with lambert and banard

[skintsaint]

For me Walcott is a forward and AO-X is a winger so I cant compare the two.

[sambosa75]

For me Walcott is a forward and AO-X is a winger so I cant compare the two.

 

I dont believe Ox is a winger. I think he has the ability on the ball to play in central midfield. A bit like Kieron Dyer before all the injuries. I think he will be moved there when he becomes more accustomed to the physical nature of the game and learns better when to time his runs etc...