Theo Walcott said he could sense “fear” in the Arsenal players during their 1-1 draw with Southampton.
Walcott scored on his return to Emirates Stadium but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalised to earn the Gunners a point and ease some of the heat on Mikel Arteta.
“I felt a lot of fear tonight in Arsenal, to be honest,” said Walcott. “They are going through a very difficult time and we are probably one of the worst teams to play at the moment.
“We are in a good place. We know that we can dominate a lot of teams. A lot of teams do not like playing against the way we want to press. We hunt in packs and you can see the hunger in the players’ eyes when we want the ball back.
“Credit to them, they get a result tonight. It shows how far we come that we are disappointed to come away and not get the three points.
“It is very different. It is a transition phase, a lot of new faces. It has changed, but I feel they have got the right man for the job.”
Walcott also explained why he decided to celebrate after his goal. The winger, who spent 12 years at Arsenal between 2006 and 2018, said: “Scoring a goal, no matter who you play for, is one of the best feelings.
“I have scored many goals here [at Arsenal] but I am in a Southampton shirt right now and playing for Southampton is a massive thing for me personally. Why not? Why wouldn’t I celebrate.
“I am enjoying my football. It was very strange coming to the Emirates tonight with no-one here, it is very strange feeling. But I am enjoying my football at Southampton. I feel like a kid again. I feel like I am performing at a level where I want to be and hopefully I can continue this in the long-run.
“It feels like we have lost two points but we would have taken that at the start of the game.”
