Arsenal’s young hero been great, hasn’t he?
He’s been Absolutely Theabulous since you signed him from Southampton in 2006.
Our favourite boy millionaire hasn’t scored many goals recently but every Arsenal fan looks forward eagerly to his tweets and Instagram posts.
Thanks, especially, Arsene, for allowing Sven-Goran Eriksson to take your precocious teenager to Euro 2006 in Germany.
You argued that Arsenal was a better team than England (which we all knew) and that not being good enough to play for Arsenal shouldn’t exclude this bright prospect from the England team.
That masterstroke set the lad’s career back, since the teenager wasn’t accepted by Frank Lampard, John Terry or the other seasoned warriors, who’d won dozens of trophies between them.
Today comes the shock news that the 27-year-old Theo Walcott wants to go back to the wing, after years of begging to play down the middle like his childhood hero Michael Owen.
In other news, Antonio Conte is thinking of playing Eden Hazard as a striker this season.
That’s a crazy idea, a very Italian way of thinking.
Hazard can score more goals from midfield that he ever would as a striker.
The EPL is nothing like Serie A and Italian League thinking will not always work here. After 10 league games, Conte will see football rather differently and I reckon he’ll see Belgium’s second best player differently too.
Eden Hazard is an improvisational dribbler-playmaker who can score from various parts of the field. He needs to be on the move and getting a lot of the ball. When he gets it, Hazard can do a lot to open up a tight game – and see a lot.
Also, he’s in his prime, unlike some of his teammates.
He is not a predator-type who can wait and concentrate and keep waiting and adjusting his position, keep looking for chances, openings and mistakes.
Hazard is chunky and clever but he’s not Puskas.
Bob Lefsetz is very good today on Malcolm Gladwell and Bill Browder