Beaten But Unbowed

An excellent performance from an extraordinary set of young Arsenal players ended in the unfortunate histrionics of three red cards and ultimately a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final.

But the memory that will linger from this match is how Theo Walcott opened his account for the Arsenal with an an unmistakeably Henry-esque touch, turn and finish provided from a Vieira-esque pass from the imperious (and for me, MoM) Vassirki Diaby.

The goal was such that Gooners could not see the strike as simply as giving the club a lead in a Carling Cup final but as statement of intent for the future. Winning was almost beside the point with Arsene Wenger fully trusting 10 outfield players with average of not quite 21 to face the Premiership Champions and attempt to match their Carling Cup exploits against West Brom, Everton, Liverpool and sp*rs.

And for the most of the match it seemed that they would.

The first period in particular was a thrilling glimpse into Arsene Wenger's crystal ball for the future of the club. Chelsea had no answer to the passing and movement of the ridiculously young Arsenal side. The vaunted Chelsea wingerless diamond began to stretch as Denilson (19), Fabregas (19), Diaby (20) and Walcott (17) ran riot with cute passing and attacking verve.

But a wide open Drogba struck against the run of play to even the score in spite of some protestations of off-side on the play (he was onside). And late in the match Drogba got the better of Senderos (again) to give Chelsea an unassailable lead... and victory.

And like the Champions League run of last year, this match capped an extraordinary run of results where football lessons have been learned and eye-catching football played. Ultimately, both competitions ended the same way. Defeat. So let us not for long bask in the warm glow of our lovely football nor in the vast array of precious young talents that Wenger has assembled. The next step is to push on and win these matches. Potential must become silverware. But for today let us rejoice in the future.

How thrilling it is.

What is the point of Theo Walcott?

I ventured recently that there was no point to Jeremie Aliaidiere. In a side with Adebayor, Henry, Van Persie, Baptista and Walcott it seems unlikely that we will ever again see Aliadiere play a part in either league or Champions League football for Arsenal Football Club.

But what about Theo Walcott? Where will he fit into the side this year. Given the amount of pre-made Walcott 32 shirts for sale at The Armoury he's clearly part of the first team this season. So much less negatively, I'd now like to pose the question... What is the point of Theo Walcott?

Oh what a player to have in the side! Please don't misunderstand... I've seen the goals against the German Under 21s and like my mate Matthews says, they get better with each viewing. And at 17 he will only get better and better... particularly under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger and alongside the likes of good eggs Thierry Henry and the similarly aged Cesc Fabregas.

And yes, Walcott is almost certainly the long term solution to the quandary of trying to *replace Thierry Henry but with so many top international strikers in the side its rather likely that Walcott will begin his Arsenal career wide of midfield.

Arsene Wenger noted after the 3-0 victory against Watford that...

"He gives the feeling he can be decisive and make a difference. He is not a real midfielder, I played him in a 4-4-2 on the flanks because he is more of a striker - but you could see that if you give him a good ball, you can never catch him.

Walcott made his starting debut against Watford for the Arsenal on the right and played a very impressive 64 minutes. He looks an ideal replacement for Jose Reyes with his frightening combination of pace, finishing and techique and while Wenger may insist that his future is up front he surely must be impressed by Walcott's crossing ability and football brain.

So unlike Aliadiere, the point of Walcott is to add some pace to the wing in advance of replacing Reyes and then later his point is to replace Henry.

Good to be a GOONAH!!

Internationals are crap... and fantastic

Just when the Arsenal were clicking into form and inviting the likes of Philippe Senderos and Gael Clichy back into the fold we have yet another International break through which to fret about the fitness of our players.

William Gallas was barely fit the other day but performed admirably alongside Kolo Toure in central defence to earn Arsenal a hard fought victory at the Valley. He may now be called upon to do the same for France and further risk proper injury at a time when the Arsenal back four is beginning to settle.

Looking back to the summer, Senderos suffered an injury with the Swiss that has kept him out of the team so far this season. As David Dein said yesterday, there must be some recompense for the club losing such an important player for long stretches of his employer's season.

With nearly the entire squad being involved in either full or under 21 international squads, we can only expect grim news of injury.

However, even the most vicious crtitic of international footbal would find it difficult to argue against the development of Manu Eboue in playing for Ivory Coast in the African's Cup last season. He had yet to start a Premiership match for the club but his development in playing for his country was so rapid that only a couple of months later he was placing the likes of Zinadine Zidane into his pocket while bombing forward and causing chaos in opposition boxes.

The same can be said for Senderos. His involvement in the Swiss side has seen him grow in confidence and stature. The experience of having to play Ireland and be absolutely immense in a playoff situation can only have long term benefit for the Arsenal. Surely those tense Swiss matches left him in good stead for the later stages of the Champions League last season.

There is also Theo Walcott to consider. And while I feel the media hype around his involvement in the team did the player no favours, it must be noted that training with the likes of Gerrard and Terry can only have helped his development. Indeed, as a 17 year old Ronaldinho also went to the World Cup to taste the flavour of the competition rather contributor to the cause. And things have worked out ok for him.

Just get these matches over with and get back to the important football of the Premiership and Champions League.

Good to be a GOONAH!!

Young Gun makes England debut

Theo Walcott made his international debut last night in England's 3-1 victory over Hungary. The 17 year old came on in the 65th minute and impressed with his pace and touch.

The Arsenal reservist who has yet to feature for the Gunners first team broke the record previously held by Wayne Rooney by appearing for England aged 17 years 75 days.

Walcott showed glimpses of brilliance last night and nearly scored from a harsh angle late on. The £12.5m signing from Southampton was brought on with Peter Crouch for Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard in what surely must be an indication of Sven Goran Eriksson's plan to have him feature off the bench in World Cup matches.

Sol Campbell also came off the bench late in the match to join Ashley Cole who played a full 90minutes for the three lions.