• Win over Tottenham a turning-point, forward says
• Gap behind rivals reduced to one point
Theo Walcott is determined to pip Tottenham Hotspur for third place in the Premier League, not only to maintain Arsenal's ascendancy over their north London rivals but to avoid the unwanted exertion of a Champions League play-off. The England winger has come to symbolise the turbulence of Arsenal's season, blowing hot and cold with his individual performances, but he believes that a top-three finish would represent a "very good year".
Arsenal can be considered to have paid a heavy price for their play-off against Udinese last August, which was the consequence of them coming fourth last season. Although they won 3-1 on aggregate, the two ties were draining both physically and mentally, particularly the second one in Udine, which was played in 31C heat and featured wafer-thin margins. After the first leg, Arsenal lost 2-0 at home to Liverpool; after the second, they crashed 8-2 at Manchester United.
Arsène Wenger felt his players did not receive the credit they deserved for beating Udinese, who are one of the top teams in Italy but everybody was agreed that they were the nightmare draw. Under Uefa's rejigged format, high-calibre opposition is more likely for the Premier League's fourth-placed club and Walcott is clear about the twin benefits of being third. Arsenal have not finished below Tottenham since 1995. "It's really important and hopefully we finish above them as well," Walcott said. "That is an even bigger bonus, for the fans especially. It will be a very good year I think, definitely."
Walcott feels that the turning point of Arsenal's season came in the derby against Tottenham at Emirates Stadium, a little over two weeks ago, and it has certainly felt that way on a personal level. He was jeered as his team trailed 2-0 but he was integral to the 5-2 comeback win, scoring the final two goals to depart to a standing ovation. Arsenal had entered the game 10 points adrift of Tottenham in third place. After Monday's 2-1 home win over Newcastle United, in which Walcott was outstanding, the deficit has been slashed to a single point.
"Football is a funny game, it is always up or down," Walcott said. "The fans are entitled to their opinions but I just wanted to score those two goals [against Tottenham] for them, to be honest. It's been an up and down season but they are passionate, just like us. We try and play well every game but if it's not happening, then you just have to try and forget about that.
"In the Tottenham game, I did and since then I've just been expressing myself. I hope the Tottenham game can be season-defining. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, we have a lot of tough games and so do Tottenham. But we don't need to concentrate on them, we need to concentrate on ourselves. As players, when we were 2-0 down against Tottenham, we always believed we could come back. It was just an unbelievable game. We are only one point behind Tottenham and nobody would have thought that a couple of months ago. It just shows how strong we are."
Walcott celebrates his 23rd birthday on Friday but a more important landmark looms in the summer, when he will enter the final 12 months on his Arsenal contract. Walcott added: "I'm enjoying my football and there is a lot more to come from me, I'm sure. I've never played so much in my life on a consistent level for 90 minutes and it obviously helps when the team is winning. The confidence flows through the whole team. We have a lot of players coming back to fitness so there is more competition and you want to be on your toes. It is looking in good shape at the moment."
Walcott admitted that he and his team-mates ran the gamut of "every single emotion" against Newcastle, when Thomas Vermaelen scored in the fifth minute of injury-time to give Arsenal their fourth consecutive come-from-behind victory, which is a Premier League record. It is now five straight wins in the competition and next up is Everton away on Wednesday week. Arsenal have no match this weekend whereas Everton face Sunderland at home in the FA Cup quarter-final.
"That might come into our favour," Walcott said. "We have a nice break before the next game but it is always tough at Goodison Park."