Theo Walcott Confident Arsenal Will Overcome Recent Blip to Claim Premier League Crown
Former Arsenal and England forward Theo Walcott has delivered a reassuring message to Gunners fans, insisting he remains "very comfortable" that the club will end their long wait for the Premier League title despite a recent wobble in form.
Recent Setbacks Narrow Arsenal's Lead at the Summit
Arsenal's advantage at the top of the table has been cut to just four points following a challenging run of results. The league leaders have faltered in each of their last three fixtures, suffering defeats against Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, and most recently Manchester United.
The clash with Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium began promisingly for the hosts when Lisandro Martinez inadvertently directed the ball into his own net after thirty minutes. However, the visitors demonstrated remarkable resilience to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory, with spectacular strikes from Patrick Dorgu and Matheus Cunha extending Michael Carrick's dream start as interim manager.
Earlier in the weekend, Manchester City and Aston Villa secured wins against Wolves and Newcastle respectively, maintaining intense pressure on Arsenal ahead of their upcoming trip to face Leeds United.
Walcott Urges Calm Amidst Fan Concerns
Despite these setbacks, Walcott has urged supporters not to panic, emphasising that Arsenal have only lost three matches throughout the entire campaign thus far.
"They've lost three games all year, they hadn't lost for a long period of time," Walcott told DR Sports. "It was a completely different Manchester United team, that's no excuse. I wouldn't be panicking at all, no, because they have been in this position before."
The former winger pointed to challenging away fixtures as evidence of Arsenal's underlying strength, noting: "I always felt that going away to Sunderland, who haven't lost at all at home, was a good result. Nottingham Forest were fighting for their lives, they genuinely are. These teams are competitive."
Trust in Arteta's Project Remains Paramount
According to Walcott, Arsenal supporters should maintain faith in Mikel Arteta's squad to deliver on their pre-season objectives. "For me, as long as they finish above Liverpool and Manchester City, that was the task at the start of the season," he explained. "They're still doing that now, they're four points clear."
He acknowledged fan frustration at times when Arsenal appear restrained, but stressed the importance of patience: "They're going into a period where, yes, they have exceptional period, but the frustrating side for Arsenal fans is they want them to be unleashed, at times, a bit more. I get that. We've just got to trust exactly what's going on. It's fine."
Experience the Only Potential Hurdle for Gunners
Walcott identified one potential concern for Arsenal in their pursuit of silverware, both domestically and in Europe: the squad's relative lack of experience in winning major trophies compared to rivals like Manchester City and Liverpool.
"Yes, they're top and top for a reason: because they're doing something right," the two-time FA Cup winner noted. "The only problem for Arsenal is they've not won anything. Those other teams have that experience of winning, Manchester City, Liverpool etcetera."
He added: "No one really speaks about Chelsea... yes, they won the Club World Cup, I get that, however, they've not won the Premier League for a long time as well. Arsenal are in four competitions still and I'm very, very comfortable that they will still win this league."
Title Race Expected to Go Down to the Wire
When questioned about the possibility of Arsenal "bottling it" in the Premier League title race, Walcott predicted a tense conclusion to the season. "I feel like it will go all the way, I do," he stated. "At the start of the year, I felt Arsenal would be leading the table and then just fall away right at the end. But they're showing signs for me that they'll be fine. They will be fine."
Walcott believes that continued participation across multiple competitions will bolster the team's confidence as the season progresses. "I do feel that the longer these competitions go on, the more confidence it will bring out," he said. "Like I said before, they've lost three games this year and they play a lot of games consistently at a high level and still get results."
He concluded with an optimistic assessment of Arsenal's position as February approaches: "The fact a lot of them aren't playing at their full capacity at this moment in time shows you there's still a lot more they can do. To lose three games and we're nearly into February, it's not bad."
