Arsenal stars to show bulldog spirit again for England

The Arsenal stars Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott are ready to answer the call, and they will be called on heavily by England tonight. Roy Hodgson’s team is facing a crucial world cup qualifier against their main rivals to win the group, Ukraine. The game will be played in a ferocious atmosphere in Kiev, but that is not England’s main problem. All of the main striking options are unavailable, for various reasons, so Southampton’s Rickie Lambert will lead the line in just his third international appearance. Rooney, Welbeck, Sturridge and Carroll are out, and there is only really Defoe as an option. The fact that England do not need to win will probably mean that Hodgson goes for a solid system and will hope to hit Ukraine on the break. That means that the pace and outlet of Walcott on the wing will be vital, while Wilshere is set to be part of a real battle in the middle of the pitch, and both are raring to go. Jack said, “Without a doubt this is the biggest game I have ever played in. Moldova on Friday was my first ever world cup qualifier. “But going to Ukraine is going to be a much harder test. “We just have to get that result that will keep us on top of the group going into the last two games. “I think we will thrive on that sort of atmosphere.” We already know that Wilshere is a born battler, but his Arsenal team mate has often been seen as a bit lightweight. Until last season that is, when along with his best ever goals and assists tally, Walcott showed much more aggression and fight on the pitch. He is never going to be like Wayne Rooney, but neither is he going to let himself be pushed around, and he believes that England can win in Kiev, never mind avoiding defeat. Walcott said, “We always go into games trying to win them. “We have a lot of pace in this team. They will have to come at us and I think that could work in our favour. “I go there feeling very confident.” The game will be in the stadium where Walcott came on and turned the game around for England against Sweden at Euro 2012, and I hope that he and Wilshere can have the same success later. The most important thing for Arsenal fans, though, is getting them and the other internationals back in one piece. Good luck lads!!