Walcott in awe of classy Barca
The Gunners survived a first-half onslaught by the tournament favourites, when Lionel Messi’s men could have been out of sight, but for some brilliant goalkeeping by Manuel Almunia.
Arsenal trailed to a brace from Zlatan Ibrahimovic but hit back to draw, which gives them a fighting chance when they head to Spain next Tuesday.
Walcott watched the first half from the bench, before making a major impact on the match – which was watched by England boss Fabio Capello – as his goal got Arsenal back into the match.
The 21-year-old forward accepts the Spanish giants are a class act, but sees no reason why Arsenal cannot get the result they need to progress next Tuesday night.
“In a way, as a young player growing up and still learning about the game, it was a fantastic experience just to watch some world-class players,” Walcott said.
“It was like someone was holding them with a PS3 controller, controlling them all the time.”
“Barcelona did play well for 60 minutes and then sort of died off for the last 30 minutes, but to play at that sort of tempo is very hard to do for the whole game.
“We are a very fit team and we came right back at them. It will be a very tough game there, but if we get an early goal and frustrate them then it will be a great game.
“We need to get the ball down and play, to frustrate them, like they did to us for the first 15 minutes especially when they kept the ball and created a lot of chances.”
Walcott feels the manner in which Arsenal recovered proves they have grown into genuine contenders.
“To see us go 2-0 down a year or two years ago, we might have let our heads drop, the fans might have got on our backs and there would have been a different results,” he said.
“Now we have had a few experiences and a few disappointments – like against Manchester United in the semi-finals last season – that we just want to go that one step further and win something.
“We have showed the character that we can do that.”
Arsenal resume their Premier League title race when Wolves come to Emirates Stadium tomorrow.
And goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has warned his team-mates they must win all six of their remaining matches if they are to pip Manchester United and Chelsea to the title.
“We have six games left now and we must record six victories,” said the Spaniard.
“We’ll have to wait to see if Manchester United drop points as well but we still have a chance of winning it. We just have to win our six games and see what happens.”
Walcott’s introduction against Barcelona prompted a shift in momentum as he picked up Nicklas Bendtner’s pass to slot his finish past Victor Valdes to put Arsenal back into the tie.
Defender Thomas Vermaelen believes Walcott could be the key to unlocking the Barca defence in the Nou Camp next week.
“Theo was very dangerous for us when he came on,” said the Belgian.
“At the end of the game we were physically a lot stronger than them and I think they were a little bit tired and with Theo’s pace you can create a little bit of danger.”
Cesc Fabregas, who will miss the rest of the domestic after suffering a small crack in his right fibula against Barcelona, echoed Vermaelen comments about Walcott’s impact.
“Theo made such a difference,’’ said Fabregas.
“He went behind them. He created a lot of problems and I think he was the best player.’’
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