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Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has said that they have been the best team in Europe this calendar year. The Englishman even claimed that the Londoners would have won the title had all of their players remained fit throughout the campaign.
Arsenal have been on a good run since the turn of the year winning 11 matches, drawing 1 and losing 2 in the Premier League. In the FA Cup, they’ve reached the final, where they are expected to win the trophy for a second year running as they face Aston Villa in the final at Wembley. Despite crashing out of the Champions League in the Round of 16, Arsene Wenger’s side have been relentless in other competitions.
Walcott praised the strength in the squad and talked about what would have happened if the club had an injury-free season.
“In this calendar year, we’ve been the best team in Europe. It’s the strongest the squad has been and everyone is staying fit as well. There aren’t many injuries in the squad, which is important. If we had an injury-free season, I think we could lift the title,” Walcott said.
Chelsea currently lead the Premier League table with 77 points from 33 matches while Arsenal lie 8 points behind in 3rd spot having played as many games.
Walcott compares himself to Henry
The former Southampton man said that there are similarities between him and former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry. He said that although he is quite far away from the Frenchman in terms of achievements, he would love to emulate the legendary striker.
“You could look at the pace side of it and the way we both finish,” he said. “He had an unbelievable scoring record and to get anywhere near that would be a great achievement for myself.
“There are a lot of similarities in the way we attack defenders and the way we finish. I want to be my own player - I like to take bits from other players’ games. Thierry just made football look very easy at times.”
The 26-year-old has struggled to make the team on a regular basis having played just 9 matches in an injury affected season and said that the competition for places among the squad takes everyone’s game higher.
“There is a lot of competition for places, so everyone seems to lift a gear and play extremely well. It makes it a bit more difficult for people to get into the team,” Walcott concluded.
Walcott’s future at the Emirates Stadium has been a subject of constant speculation as his contract expires at the end of the season. With no extension in sight and Arsenal stocked up in attacking midfielders, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see Walcott leave the defending FA Cup champions for another adventure.
