A lot of people seem to consider Theo Walcott for their initial Fantasy Premier League (FPL) squads for good reason. The England international is easily capable of double-digit Fantasy returns and hat tricks on his day and will always be a viable captain option when he plays against a bottom half side and especially against teams that tend to defend with a high defensive line. His pace and ability to get behind defenders with well timed runs can be deadly.
With injuries behind him he started all of Arsenals last three competitive games (if you count the Community Shield) and scored four goals and an assist over that time. Alexis Sanchez will be out for at least two league games and Walcott might even play as a striker, if preferred to Olivier Giroud.
As an Arsenal fan and a seasoned FPL player, finishing 12th overall last season, I thought I’d share my thoughts about Walcott.
Will He Play and Where?
How good are his starting chances? Manager Arsene Wenger’s tactics give some indication that, when fit, he is a key player as he fits perfectly into both of Arsenal’s most frequently used formations, 4-1-4-1 and 4-2-3-1, as he can play as both a forward and a winger.
It is worth mentioning last year that he made so many substitute appearances at the end of the season as he took time to recover from a lengthy injury. The indications are that, when fit, he will start, for the first Gameweeks of the season at least.
Now let’s consider some of the other players who are vying for a starting place. Whatever formation is employed, one midfield space is always reserved for a defensive position, with Francis Coquelin currently the favourite. Wenger also favours three technical playmakers on the pitch at the same time. These berths are likely to go to Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla.
With Alexis Sanchez out for the first and possibly second game due to his summer commitments, that leaves two spots up for grabs. In Sanchez’s absence these are likely to be filled by either Walcott as a winger, in which case Olivier Giroud will play as a forward, or with Walcott as a forward, in which case Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is likely to come in. The latter was used in the Community Shield and the smart money is on Wenger replicating this for Gameweek 1. What is clear over the years is that Wenger is not keen on playing both Oxlade-Chamberlin and Walcott as wingers at the same time.
Sanchez’s return could curtail Walcott’s game time, however. While the Chilean builds up his fitness Walcott will start, either up front or on the wing to accommodate Giroud. But with Sanchez on the pitch the number of slots dries up and Walcott may be in direct competition for Giroud for just one place, with no midfield berth to fall back on.
Conclusion
If I had to guess, I would say that over the season Giroud will start in six out of ten games. Walcott is likely to start seven out of ten games if every player mentioned is fit. In four out of ten games he will be the striker and three out of ten games he will be used on the wing. But it is worth mentioning that even from the bench Walcott is a potent threat and can still be relied on to score or assist.
