Sweden
Theo Walcott
Any coach who can afford to leave Theo Walcott out of his team is a lucky one.
But when that team is the England U21s and Walcott has started the last two games for the National Team, the manager opens himself up to scrutiny. Is the team really that good? Or is there another reason?
Predictably, journalists have latched onto Pearce's sporadic use of his best player as a story to run with and them to interrogate him on at every opportunity. Pearce denies any exceptionalism at every turn, but the hacks are still baffled.
Is the FA trying to keep the big clubs on board by tacitly acquiescing to Arsene Wenger’s request that Walcott should not travel to Sweden? Is Pearce trying to prove to others, or even to himself, that star names cannot be allowed to outshine the team’s identity? Or is he secretly playing games with his opponents by naming unexpected lineups only to unleash his talisman as an impact substitute?
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