Walcott - Those goals are 'a weight off my shoulders' - 25 Oct 2007
Theo Walcott admits the two goals he scored last night are a ‘weight off his shoulders’.
The young Arsenal attacker has been in the headlines ever since he moved to North London from Southampton in January 2006. That summer he was called up to England’s World Cup squad without having played for his new side. The following season, he chose the Carling Cup Final as the occasion to score his first Arsenal goal but unfortunately a nagging injury would blight the end of that campaign.
In the build-up to Tuesday’s night game with Slavia Prague, Arsène Wenger spoke of Walcott, mainly a winger until now, being ready to star up front. He responded with two goals in a 7-0 drubbing at Emirates Stadium.
“It's a weight off my shoulders in a way,” said Walcott. “The last couple of games have gone well for me and it's great to get my first goal at the Emirates. I remember playing against Reading as a striker [last season] but since the operation it's the first game I've had up front and I really enjoyed it.
“The fans have been brilliant to me since I joined the Club. Every game the cheers are massive. It was good to get those goals for them.
“It would have been nice to get the hat-trick - maybe another day - but I'll take two, definitely.”
Walcott admits his early career at Arsenal has been a rollercoaster ride but, he argues, that surprise World Cup call-up is NOT a source of regret.
“I was only 17,” he said. “I hadn't played in the Premiership. It wasn't my decision that I got picked. You have to ask Sven for that. But it was a good experience to train with world-class players then see how they performed on match days and coming up to the games. That was an eventful summer. No-one expected it, including me.
“But I've been with Arsenal for nearly two years now and been working really hard. Yes it has been up and down but that's gone now. It's in the past and it's all downhill from here. I never really read papers or what people are saying about me which helps. The environment I'm in - around the players every day - you don't see what's in the newspapers or anything. And I think the boss has been brilliant with me.
“Now I can push on because I'm stronger and a bit wiser. I hope to get a few more appearances up front as well.” |
發表於 2007-10-25 02:03 PM
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