Anorak

Anorak News | Arsenal’s Theo Walcott only needs to beat Spurs ‘superstar’ Theo Walcott to be a World Cup legend

Arsenal’s Theo Walcott only needs to beat Spurs ‘superstar’ Theo Walcott to be a World Cup legend

by | 14th, October 2013

PA-17884069

HOW good has Spurs’ Andros Townsend become since he scored in England’s 4-1 win over Montenegro?

Tony Cascarino (Times):

I felt for Theo Walcott on Friday, sitting in a TV studio watching his replacement have a great game. Walcott would have wanted Andros Townsend to do well for England — just not too well! It’s a strange mix of feelings when you see your rival excel.

Should the Arsenal winger be unsettled? Well, not if he read what Cascarino had to say about him waaaaay back in August:

I like Jack Wilshere, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney, but the one player England have who can scare the pants off opponents is Walcott

And then waaaay back in September, Cascarino wrote:

There has been a degree of overreaction about Mesut Özil over the past few days, encouraging though his Arsenal debut was. Not because the German’s performance at Sunderland was unworthy of praise or less pivotal than it suggested, but because in Theo Walcott they already have a player with the potential for stardom.

Substitute Ozil’s name for Townsend and England for Arsenal and you have an updated version of the same story. Get this from the Mirror’s John Cross:

“Andros Townsend can follow Gareth Bale’s lead and establish himself as a superstar on the wing.”

Wow. One decent game and you are a superstar. But back to Cascarino:

A year or so ago, there was uncertainty about Walcott’s contract and some supporters wondered whether he warranted a pay rise. Was he really that big a thing? The answer to that is yes, because he has moved on to another level in the past 18 months and is a far more complete player. There were bound to be some scars from that early leap to prominence when he was selected by Sven-Göran Eriksson, but he has matured incredibly. He is a far more effective player and his pace is such that I’m convinced he has a huge opportunity to become a big star at the World Cup finals next summer.

If only he can get past Townsend…



Posted: 14th, October 2013 | In: Arsenal, Sports, Spurs Comment | TrackBack | Permalink