Fabio Capello explains why he left Theo Walcott at home
Arsenal striker Theo Walcott was a surprise selection in the England squad for the World Cup 2006. Four years later, he failed to make the final squad.
Explaining why the 21-year old was not selected, England’s manager Fabio Capello revealed that the decision was hard to take but he feels that the youngster is yet to fully recover from shoulder problems and is no longer the player he was before suffering the injury.
The Italian added how he needed to choose the best of the best from the country and the Arsenal player simply was not fit enough, meaning that the Italian finally opted for the likes of Shaun Wright-Phillips and Aaron Lennon. The omission was not easy to accept for the striker but he showed the right mentality when asked about it.
The 21-year old in fact explained that he is “very disappointed” but also added how he respects the decision of the Italian, wishing the team the best of luck.
On not selecting Theo, Capello said:
It was a really hard decision for me.
I know Theo Walcott was really important in the games we played in qualification. But after his operation on his shoulder he did not play a lot of games. He was not the same player we knew before the injury.
I hope that he will be fit and over injury and he will be back in the team for the other qualifiers (Euro 2012). It was hard for me, but we had to choose the best players for the squad.
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Let me hope your decision is not a mess-up for England in the world cup.
Not including walcott wont be a mess-up for the england squad.. Walcott has a lot to learn about being a little more brave and taking chances. He let himself down
I am of the opinion that Walcott was never given the time and the circumstances to mature and as such I can not honestly say he will be of a great influence in the future. Maybe a stint with a club on the continent might help but I`ve always felt that Wenger has fathered him too much. Is this the duckling that never became a duck? I don`t know. Whatever, he could be the highest paid `has been` at 22 years of age.
I think you are right if you are suggesting he never had enough time away from the limelight. When we signed him he clearly wasnt ready for 1st team football in the PL, but wenger has persisted with him to this day. With a bit of reserve-football and/or a couple of loans, he may have been ready by now, who knows.
All that’s really for sure is that he’s still not at a level where he should be playing in the arsenal first team. Certainly not as frequently as he does. I’d love to see him go on loan to a tough side like bolton to learn how to be effective with a little less pressure than he has here. I think that would actually do him the world of good, but unfortunately he is on 60k pw. He either has to play or be sold now. And I think he will continue to play, so all we can really do is wait for him to get good… Hope it isnt too much longer though because it has cost us a lot so far imo.
Yea. Get the best out of him, injure him and dump him when it matters the most.
Now Capello is hoping that Theo will help in the the qualifiers for Euro 2012. Perhaps the mannager will dump him again when it matters. Theo should choose his friends wisely and work to benefit his career..
Walcott will be fit n superb in euro 2012
if i was treated the way theo walcott has been treated by the england camp, i would turn my back on them . Took to the world cup at 16 , never playing at top class level. help england to the world cup, then dumped into the under 21 side, now left out of the world cup squad because of lack of game’s after a injury he got with england,meanwhile taking four player’s who have hardly kicked a ball all season.laughable
walcot shud quit national team. Rem. before the beginin of last season the national team overused n now dumpd him!!! Wat de hell… Jus quit theo n focus on your club.. arsenal means mo dan the nation theo, we lov you
it was last summer with u21’s that burned him out for the season
Capello was totally right to leave him out…
Come on now he is not even a first team player for Arsenal…!!!
Walcott had his hopes high, but he has not even realised that he has not proven or made worth the 12 millions we paid for him…!!!
Despite his speed there is nothing else… I mean nothing!!! I still wonder why AW bought him !!!
Lenon has brought variations in his game that is why he is in the squad, simple…!
Has lenon ever taken any of the chances hes had for england tho??? No he has floped every time!!!! Same as SWP !!!
Hey u, i hope u are an arsenal fan cos u sound like u are not for us and mind u,tell us who brought us back into d barcelona’s game at d emirates & yeah ”put ur money where ur mouth is” & stop criticizism.
So he helps them qualify and then takes two players that have never done anything for england after many a chance!!! And how can he go on about a shoulder injury when king has the worst knees in the game and gets picked !!
u guys r tripping balls!!!!!! walcott is very average and shouldnt be in the premier league , he cant pass , hes too small, his first touch is terrible and he cant cross! yes he runs fast but he cant even control the ball properly and doesnt have enough skill to get passed players regularly, he has a lucky run every 20 odd games, i cringe watching him, way preferred eboue on the wing and thats not a hard player to overshadow, sell walcott asap, get Hazard asap. he actually has skill and can control a football.
cant cross? cant pass? did you not watch the last half of arsenal’s season? when theo actually got healthy and played when he was able to, he played great. he was playing great passes and put in some fantastic crosses. he single handedly kept us in a few games because of the runs he was making. sure, there were a few games where he didnt play well and made sloppy passes, but like i said, he has been struggling with injuries for a year now and his been in and out of the squad because of that. i player that young takes some time to regain form, especially for theo since his footballing brain/instincts arent the best.
I love Theo and yes he has had mixed games but he is in no doubt a player for the future. Why should he quit his national team? On current form other players are better so he should work harder and hopefully he’ll get there in the future. Theo keep at it and take the criticsm in good stride. Cheers.
I dont know what walcott capello knew before the shoulder operation. Havent noticed a significant change in his form to be honest. Hes been less effective from the bench I guess, but I dont think he ever did enough consistently to deserve a call-up, apart from the fact there werent many better options. His hat-trick was not a complete fluke or anything, but hes always been like that, one MASSIVE performance every 4-6months, then some decent form for 2 or 3 games, then… nothing. That’s no use to a side trying to win the PL or the WC. U need players you can rely on..
Walcott is not ready for the World Cup. Thing is if you play him as an impact player you don’t know which Walcott would turn up. It becomes a big problem if he comes on when we need him to make an impact with time running out and then he does not play the way you want him to.
He’s not good enough to start for England yet. You don’t know what you’ll get when he comes off the bench so I can’t blame Capello for the decision. Walcott will get better with experience but the World cup is not the place for him to gain that experience, it’s to important a stage.
Let’s put it that way, We , I mean Arsenal, could do without Walcott easily…!!! That is how important he is!!!
AN AVERAGE PLAYER NO MORE! Thats what Theo Walcott is. He has not matured as a player and would be kicked to pieces in the world cup – fact. His only advantage is his speed but a good defender will soon sort that out. He needs to Man-up, and become more physical and stronger , maybe a season at a lesser club will be good for him. In fact a lot of Arsenal players suffer from the same problem , the potable exceptions are Gallas, Vermalen , Campbell , Song etc. In the coming season well be out-muscled again if we are not carefull and if we do not buy some strong defensive backs and midfielders, and Yes a goalkeeper!
Theo’s rest during the summer is GOOD for Arsenal’s next season
I will say that the real reasons he did not go to the World Cup are: -
a) HE CANNOT CROSS. He can pass the ball along the ground into the box from the wing but he cannot put spin on the ball and send in a pacy cross for a header. He completely lacks this skill. That was why Beckham was teaching him how to cross before the World Cup. This fact was reported. So I would only partially agree with Chris Waddle who commented that Walcott has no football brain. The fact is Walcott does not have all the skills to execute the right move in a match situation even if his brain was a football one.
b) Following on from a), Walcott does not have the essential skill of a winger. Is he being played out of position? My suspicion is that his best position is as a centre forward, even then a limited one.
c) His other weaknesses are that he is not completely 2-footed, his first touch is immature and he lacks the tricks to dribble pass a player in a tight situation. He can only push the ball straight pass the player and beat him in a foot race. I do not see him doing step overs for example. Need I mention the fact that his tackling is below average.
d) he has been found out now and he has no answer. That is why he is not a first team player at Arsenal or a World Cup player. His injuries are a convenient excuse.
My view is that Walcott will be sold by Arsenal within the next 2 seasons and he will go to a mid-table club where he will enjoy limited success so long as he is able to maintain his pace. It is painfully obvious.
For me he is a poorer version of Michael Owen. At least Owen could score with both feet and his head. In the modern game, Walcott sadly will be left behind. Frankly I would prefer Agbonlahor as the England right winger of the future, together with Lennon or Jordan Henderson of Sunderland. Ashley Young (inverted), Danny Rose or Adam Johnson would be put on the left and your true English gem, Wilshere, as the creative spark through the middle just behind the striker – Rooney or Andy Carroll. That is the English attack for 2014.
Peace to all.