Arsenal striker Theo Walcott has urged the squad to put their disappointment in the Champions League behind them ahead of a massive London derby against Chelsea this Saturday.
The Gunners got their European adventure off to the worst possible start as they fell to a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday night as the visitors were punished for a number of costly mistakes in the Stadion Maksimir.
Arsene Wenger’s side will not have much time to dwell on that loss as they face the Blues at Stamford Bridge this weekend as their title credentials will be tested against the defending Premier League champions.
Walcott, who scored what proved to be no more than a mere consolation against Zagreb, insists all is not lost in their quest to qualify from their Champions League group and has called for a strong reaction against the west London outfit:
“We need to move on now,” the England international told Sky Sports.
“We have got a big, important game at the weekend, but everyone will be very disappointed.”
“However, we can’t blow one result and say ‘it’s the end of the season’ – we have still got a long Champions League run [ahead].”
“We have had setbacks before and have managed to bounce back from them.”
“The manager will make sure that it’s put to bed in the changing room and that it will stay there. We need to reflect on this game and move on quickly,” Walcott added.
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The Gunners don’t have a good recent record in the league against their fierce rivals, but they can take confidence from the 1-0 win when the two teams met at Wembley in the Community Shield clash last month.