Is Theo Walcott’s Time Up At Arsenal?

In modern football, it’s very rare that a player actually says something interesting in a postmatch interview. Hours of media training and a healthy supply of versatile cliches mean players can usually get through a three-minute interview without really saying anything at all. However, Theo Walcott’s chat after Arsenal’s latest humiliation, a 3-0 embarrassment at Crystal Palace on Monday, was remarkable for its sheer candour.

Asked why Crystal Palace had been able to brush a superior team aside, Walcott appeared to admit that Arsenal simply weren’t up for the fight. Taking on a suitably sombre tone, Walcott told the television reporter: “I think they just wanted it more. You could tell they wanted it more. You could sense that from the kickoff. It was an uphill battle towards the end there … This isn’t Arsenal at this moment in time.”

It’s a stunning (and arguably stupid) admission. Players typically obfuscate with talk of bouncing back and putting things right, but here Walcott has plainly confessed to the squad’s spinelessness. He has conceded the pundits and snipers who’ve long questioned Arsenal’s character are absolutely right.

Does Walcott have any idea what that sounds like to a fan? Imagine paying and travelling to Selhurst Park to support your club, only for your stand-in skipper to reveal the team were never really particularly up for it. It’s scandalous.

In some ways Walcott is the personification of the problems at Arsenal. Against Palace, Arsenal were captained by someone deemed not good enough for the most recent England squad — a leader seemingly without any obvious leadership qualities. Yet Walcott has accumulated more Arsenal appearances than Thierry Henry ever managed. He has been at the Emirates for more than decade, without ever truly fulfilling his potential. Arsene Wenger has indulged that kind of mediocrity for too long.

However, the problems go well beyond Walcott, and he has at least contributed 19 goals to the cause in the course of this campaign — a good deal more than most of his teammates. The bigger issue is a culture of cowardice and complacency that is endemic at Arsenal.

Walcott has laid bare Arsenal’s unwillingness to compete with Palace in the physical duels. The defenders’ deference to Christian Benteke was quite incredible — the big Belgian grew in confidence as the Arsenal centre-halves shied away from every aerial battle. As for the midfield, they offered little-to-no protection for the back four. There was no discipline, no shape, and no respect for each other. As a collective, Arsenal looked happy to leave teammates isolated, content in the knowledge that individual would ultimately shoulder the majority of the blame.

There is cowardice off the field too. Arsenal’s chief executive and owner have shown a distinct lack of backbone, refusing to offer any clarity on the toxic situation over Wenger’s contract. An owner with backbone would take the difficult decision to withdraw the offer of a new deal. Instead, Stan Kroenke seems content to let the disquiet rumble on, with fan fury steadily growing. By refusing to recognise the supporters’ view on the manager — which, it’s worth pointing out, is approaching unanimity — this board are turning fans off the club in their droves.

Then there’s the manager. Resilience is among his most abundant qualities. You don’t last 20 years in the job without having the courage of your convictions. However, the question now is whether he has the bravery to do the right thing and abdicate. For Wenger, a man obsessed by his job at the expense of everything else, taking the decision to walk away is arguably his greatest challenge.

He must. There is no quick fix for Arsenal’s problems, but a change in manager is the most expedient way to bring about a change of culture. That’s absolutely what’s required now.

Walcott might insist that “this isn’t Arsenal,” but he’s wrong. This is Arsenal. The whole club has grown stale; underachievement has seeped into the fabric of a once glorious institution. Something different is required. When Wenger arrived at the club in the mid-’90s, he revolutionised the technical aspect of the club. Now Arsenal need a different kind of coach to transform Arsenal’s mentality and make them winners again.