Arsenal’s 3-2 victory over Swansea on Saturday afternoon was more nervy than it needed to be, especially with Theo Walcott netting two first-half goals.
Despite this, Arsène Wenger was fairly upbeat in the post-match press conference when asked questions about the man in-form, as well as Mesut Özil’s excellent volley on the German’s 28th birthday.
When asked about whether Özil’s goal was like Marco van Basten’s classic finish against the USSR in 1988, Wenger was quoted by the club’s official website as saying, “I do not want to compare, but it was a great goal.
“When you see Ozil finishing today, you think a little bit that he doesn’t take his chances to shoot enough.
“When you see him in training, he scores basically when he wants. You speak with the keepers and he’s one of the most difficult players to predict where he’ll put the ball.
“In the game, I’m happy that he gets goals and I hope that gives him the taste to try more.”
Theo Walcott himself would’ve been disappointed to only have netted twice, especially as he could’ve sealed his hat-trick or even scored another late on after a bursting run forward by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain set his compatriot up perfectly to slot home.
Instead, he blazed wide of the mark, but his individual performance was admirable as he worked tirelessly for the side throughout.
Wenger added, “He could have had a hat-trick, or even four, because he had another chance from Oxlade-Chamberlain. But he scored two goals. I think he’s got seven now, that’s quite encouraging.”
When asked a question about Walcott appearing to be a little more resilient, especially in comparison to the form shown by the 27-year-old in matches last term, Wenger replied, “I would cut the ‘little bit’ off in your sentence and just say he’s much more resilient, and not a little bit.”