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Arsenal's Theo Walcott calls recent form 'not good enough' and urges team to respond
The Gunners winger also paid tribute to Robin van Persie's captaincy and looked ahead to the return of Jack Wilshere, claiming he could become better than Cesc Fabregas
27 Jan 2012 11:53:00
By Jay Jaffa
Getty Images
Theo Walcott has described Arsenal's run of three consecutive Premier League defeats as 'not good enough' and urged his team-mates to help ease the pressure on manager Arsene Wenger.
The Gunners are currently lying in fifth place in the Premier League, joint on 36 points with Newcastle United, but five points behind Chelsea one place above them and their recent form hasn't helped after three consecutive defeats to Fulham, Swansea and, most recently, Manchester United.
The 22-year-old admitted his manager had taken a lot of the criticism for the recent dip in form and called for the team to step up and take responsibility.
"The manager will take all the stick," he told the Daily Telegraph.
"He looks after us. He believes in us.
"As players we need to look at ourselves. We need to take responsibility. The last few games haven't been good enough.
"The worst thing is we have a lot of regrets. There are games we could have won.
“When you go to Swansea and score two goals you should win."
Walcott also spoke of his captain Robin Van Persie and praised his influence within the dressing room.
"We always like to reflect on the game in the dressing room, even at half-time, sharing our feelings on the game," Walcott said.
"Robin is a great captain who wants to win. He believes in the team and knows the team can do better.”
Arsenal face Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday before a trip to Bolton during the following week. Walcott refused to solely blame the injury list for their dip in form but did pay tribute to Jack Wilshere, who has been absent all season.
"We've missed him. He's an important player even after just that one year [in the team]," he said.
"People compare him to Cesc [Fabregas]. I think he can be better than Cesc, definitely. It's just a shame he had that massive injury.
"Injuries don't help but we can't just look at injuries."
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The Gunners are currently lying in fifth place in the Premier League, joint on 36 points with Newcastle United, but five points behind Chelsea one place above them and their recent form hasn't helped after three consecutive defeats to Fulham, Swansea and, most recently, Manchester United.
The 22-year-old admitted his manager had taken a lot of the criticism for the recent dip in form and called for the team to step up and take responsibility.
"The manager will take all the stick," he told the Daily Telegraph.
"He looks after us. He believes in us.
"As players we need to look at ourselves. We need to take responsibility. The last few games haven't been good enough.
"The worst thing is we have a lot of regrets. There are games we could have won.
“When you go to Swansea and score two goals you should win."
Walcott also spoke of his captain Robin Van Persie and praised his influence within the dressing room.
"We always like to reflect on the game in the dressing room, even at half-time, sharing our feelings on the game," Walcott said.
"Robin is a great captain who wants to win. He believes in the team and knows the team can do better.”
Arsenal face Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday before a trip to Bolton during the following week. Walcott refused to solely blame the injury list for their dip in form but did pay tribute to Jack Wilshere, who has been absent all season.
"We've missed him. He's an important player even after just that one year [in the team]," he said.
"People compare him to Cesc [Fabregas]. I think he can be better than Cesc, definitely. It's just a shame he had that massive injury.
"Injuries don't help but we can't just look at injuries."
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| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
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| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
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