Arsenal striker dilemma: Theo Walcott's regular offside calls may see him lose out to Olivier Giroud
New statistics suggest the pacey frontman is not using his speed effectively
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Your support makes all the difference.Theo Walcott is currently locked in a head-to-head tussle with Olivier Giroud for Arsenal’s solo striking berth and it is not going well for him if Arsene Wenger’s most recent team selection is anything to go by.
After scoring from the bench against Watford and Bayern Munich last week, Giroud was preferred to Walcott for Saturday’s evening kick-off against Everton. On his return to the starting line-up, the Frenchman did his case no damage by notching the opener in a comfortable 2-1 victory.
Giroud has now scored five league goals this season compared to Walcott’s two, despite making fewer starts and playing fewer minutes than his teammate. What’s more, these aren’t the only numbers that damage the England international’s case…
New statistics dug up by Oulala have totted up the number of times every Premier League player has been caught offside this season and the numbers do not make pleasant reading for the pacey frontman.
Walcott has moved too early during his team’s attacks on eight separate occasions this season, more than every other player in the league bar three.
Only Southampton’s Graziano Pelle, Tottenham Hotspur frontman Harry Kane and Swansea City’s Bafetimbi Gomis have been flagged more. The former two have been caught offside nine times each.
Gomis, meanwhile, is proving to be his generation’s very own Filippo Inzaghi, who Sir Alex Ferguson once dryly described as “born offside”.
The Swans frontman has been flagged an incredible 23 times already this term, at an average of once every 35 minutes.
By comparison, Walcott’s measly total of eight may not seem significant. However, he has been flagged once every 63 minutes, the second-highest ratio among the top ten offenders, behind Gomis’ astonishing and anomalous figure.
The statistics therefore suggest that Walcott is a disruptive presence up front, just not in the way that causes problems for opposing defenders.
The Arsenal man is not using his electric pace effectively and timing his runs poorly, to the detriment of both the team and his selection prospects.
The 26-year-old forward may be given a chance to win his place back on Tuesday night, when Arsenal travel to Hillsborough to play Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup.
Arsene Wenger suggested last week that Walcott was still his main striker, although he was speaking before Giroud’s selection against Everton.
"It is always hard," he said at the time. "They are top players. I consider the form, the game on the day.
"At the end of the season both will have played their share of games but at the moment it is Theo. In a few weeks, it might be Giroud. What is important is that both contribute."
Stats and Infographic supplied by fantasy football game www.oulala.com
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