Theo Walcott believes his former club Arsenal are going to take some stopping in the Premier League race amid a downturn in form for defending champions Liverpool
Theo Walcott believes Arsenal are only going to get better after overhauling Liverpool at the top of the Premier League(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)
Theo Walcott has warned Arsenal will only get better and believes his former club are in the best shape to end their 22-year wait to win the Premier League. And the ex-Everton winger has questioned how Liverpool boss Arne Slot will react to the defending champions’ poor form.
Arsenal return to Champions League action against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday after establishing a three-point cushion over Manchester City at the top of the domestic table. Last season’s title winners Liverpool are a further point back following three straight defeats.
And Walcott, who scored 108 times in 397 appearances for Arsenal before making a £20m move to Everton, told the PA news agency: “Arsenal will only get better and that is the scary truth.
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“But when you look at Liverpool, who are trying to integrate so many players and then lose this many games, how is Arne Slot going to react to that?
“Is he going to be sulky? Is he going to be different to his staff and different to his players? Will it affect his home life away from the game?
“We haven’t seen that side before. It can bleed down to everywhere, even the younger groups.
“But I look at Arsenal right now and it is only positive.
“I saw on TV the other day (Arsenal co-chair Josh) Kroenke cracking a joke and laughing when he was watching Arsenal’s match against Fulham from the stands.
“Normally you don’t see owners like that. They are dead serious and not as relaxed, but he looks so relaxed and that filters down to the players, to the manager and it is a reflection as to where the team is right now.
“Yes, they have invested a lot, but I don’t see it as a failure if they don’t win the Premier League.
“They have backed Mikel and they will continue backing him, even if they don’t win the title.
“Mikel is the right man to progress the team to where they want to be.
“When I look at them there are not many faults. They are in the best shape to win it.”
While the Gunners have taken full advantage of the Reds’ downturn in form, £64m summer signing Viktor Gyokeres, very much like his Sweden international team-mate Alexander Isak, is struggling in front of goal.
Gyokeres scored 97 times in 102 matches for Sporting Lisbon prior to his arrival at Arsenal but he has registered just three goals for his new club.
He last found the back of the net in the Gunners’ 3-0 win at home to Nottingham Forest on September 13. It is a run of nine consecutive games without a goal that includes drawing blanks when he partnered Liverpool £125m record signing Isak in attack for Sweden over the international.
But Walcott, who will appear as a pundit for Amazon Prime’s coverage of Arsenal’s clash against Atletico, added: “The great thing for me about Gyokeres is that he doesn’t give up and he is not shying away from anything. That is a sign of a really good forward.
“I know a lot of forwards who would not want to get involved, or come really deep to get the ball, because they are bored. He is not like that and he is keeping to his strengths.
“He could be a bit more selfish, but those guys behind him need that freedom and for him maybe his sacrifice will be his goals.
“When I say Arsenal will improve, they will do that when he starts scoring. For me it is not a concern and I don’t see alarm bells ringing.”
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Liverpool continue their UEFA Champions League campaign as they face Eintracht Frankfurt on October 22. Fans can watch the game on the TNT Sports Prime Video channel.
