Wenger: Walcott can become a better player than Messi
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Wenger: Walcott Has Edge On Messi
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is convinced that Theo Walcott can go on to become a better player than Barcelona's Argentine prodigy Lionel Messi.
While Messi, 21, is widely regarded as one of the very best players on the planet, Walcott, 19, is just coming into his own, and has shot to superstardom courtesy of his hat-trick against Croatia last month.
“He’s different [to Messi at that age] and I think he’s more,” Wenger said at a press conference on Friday. “If you have to look for a weakness in Messi you would say it is his ability to run without the ball, behind the defender.
“When he takes the ball to his feet he’s like a Ferrari. But Theo is more a guy who has the timing to run off the ball and that is something that is difficult to find.
“We had Marc Overmars who was especially good at that and I’m a great, great lover of movement off the ball.”
Wenger went on to credit Walcott's rapid development to a weight training regime they put him on since he first arrived as a very scrawny 16-year-old. "He is a man now in the fight," he said. "You feel he has much more power than a year ago, or six months ago.
"We do a bit of strengthening of the upper body but not weights, because I believe in football it's more about coordination.
"Weights make you more rigid and coordination makes you more flexbile and Walcott is a guy who has natural power. He will naturally become a strong upper body player." -
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after watching the guy's last few games and seeing how young he is, Wenger could be right
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Yeah, quite true... Messi sometimes is really over-rated... Walcott seems to be coming good... But he really do need more upper body strength otherwise shoulder to shoulder challenged he loses out...
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true. moreover their age gap not too big. i agree with wenger this time.
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finally voyure said something right
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Mauro Zarate better than both of them!!
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rightly pointed out, Messi is really good with ball at his feet, Theo might just be as good in time to come but alot will be left to be seen if he can keep up with his progress, which will depend on who he is with under and who he is playing with as well as his willingness to keep improving.. bright future awaiting nevertheless
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Originally posted by CannyOng:
Mauro Zarate better than both of them!!
He doesn't even play in a top league
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Italy not top league? Lazio top of Italy table??
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thats provided he plays regularly like messi.
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he is already playing regularly for Arsenal.
he is already a key figure for arsenal this season.
in many of the display this season, he almost win it singlehandle for both arsenal and england.
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ive read at redcafe that melanie slade's father used to play for manchester united and the slade family is thinking of moving to the red side of manchester..if that happens, walcott may choose girl over club and that will mean
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Originally posted by Master -_-:
ive read at redcafe that melanie slade's father used to play for manchester united and the slade family is thinking of moving to the red side of manchester..if that happens, walcott may choose girl over club and that will mean
nah, it would be better for him to stay in Gunners and develop. Saying that, both Gunners and United are experts at youth development so he should be comfortable with either.
For my money, Messi is still much better. Walcott has pace, and that's his main calling call. but Messi has other qualities such as his dribbling skills..
but the sky's the limit for Walcott..
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arsenal should consider getting WWF batista to build up walcott upp body muscle.
he can bulldoze into opponent goals!