How Theo Walcott can become a shooting star through the middle for Arsenal In a 4-3-3 system it is especially important that he keeps hold of it. This involves improving his touch and being strong when coming under pressure from a big centre-half. He will need to know where that centre half is and be able to put out a strong arm to keep him at bay. Even though he is not an orthodox forward he needs to be strong. The way Arsenal play, that back-to-goal aspect is not quite as prevalent as elsewhere but there will be tight matches where the ball is played in and he will have to deal with it. Decision making On Saturday, once or twice he chose the wrong pass when he was not under any particular pressure. This goes hand in hand with awareness because going through the middle the decisions facing you are different to playing out wide. When to keep hold, when to play a first-time lay-off, picking the right pass. You may well have team-mates running beyond you and expecting service. If he gets it wrong, and the opposition are handed possession and the chance to counter-attack, it can prove costly. Runs off the ball These can be a major strength for Walcott when you think of the skill of the players behind him, such as Jack Wilshire and Santi Cazorla. If Walcott makes the right runs he should see plenty of the ball by utilising his pace, and making sure he does not go too early and is caught offside. He is good at timing his runs. He has improved over a short space of time and should continue to develop quickly. In terms of his overall game maybe he has not progressed as much as he should have since arriving in the Premier League but as far as his runs go, they can be devastasting if he uses his pace properly. Finishing I used to think that Walcott was better when he did not have time to think about finishing. That is the case with a lot of players. It can sometimes be harder to finish when you have time to think. For his first goal on Saturday, he had time and his finish was that of a player who is increasingly confident. When he gets into good positions he should be able to keep his head and pick his spot. That side-footed goal against Newcastle into the far corner was reminiscent of Thierry Henry in his pomp. That comes with confidence and he is very confident at the moment. One area he can work on in training is heading. If you are the man in the middle there wil be times when the ball is whipped across. Verdict We should not write off his days as a right winger altogether as there might be occasions where Arsenal might be better served with him on the flank. But Walcott has the capacity to go on and become a very dangerous striker. There are aspects he needs to work on but these are early days as a central striker and he will get better quickly as he becomes more comfortable in the role.