Pearce to renew Walcott rivalry
ByPA Sport Report
Published 17/04/2015 at 21:39 GMT
Alex Pearce and Theo Walcott will this weekend rekindle childhood battles at Wembley Stadium, where the Reading defender will not fall into the trap of underestimating the Arsenal attacker.
Eurosport
Image credit: Eurosport
The Royals take on the in-form north Londoners on Saturday evening as they bid to make the FA Cup final for the first time in the club's history.
Pearce could lead Reading out in their first semi-final for 88 years if Jem Karacan does not start a match which could pit the Ireland international against a former foe.
Born in Oxfordshire, defender Pearce is well used to locking horns with Newbury native Walcott.
The pair played against one another around the age of 12, so Pearce knows better than most what to expect from the Arsenal forward, who has failed to recapture the form he showed before a serious knee injury.
"He was from the Newbury area and I used to play for a team called the Vale of White Horse," the centre-back said.
"He played for his team in Newbury and we came up against each other a couple of times. I think he remembers me, I'm not sure.
"I walked all over him," Pearce said, laughing. "No, he was quick, very quick. He always had that in his locker and was technically good as well.
"People underestimate how good he is technically. He's a good player, a great player. He's just one of many that Arsenal have got in their ranks."
Walcott always stood out as a kid, Pearce says, and Reading know all too well the damage the forward can do when on form.
Back in October 2012, the 26-year-old grabbed a hat-trick as Arsenal came from behind to win a remarkable League Cup quarter-final 7-5 after extra time.
Pearce was reduced to a watching brief for what he calls the "weirdest game" he has ever seen - one which only underlined Walcott's threat.
"We all know what qualities Theo Walcott has, he's a great player," he said.
"He wouldn't be where he was if he wasn't, playing for England. He has done really well for Arsenal, he's got lightning pace.
"If he plays Saturday, we're going to have to be wary of him. He's a top player and a top lad."
It is not just Walcott that the Royals need to contend with, though, as there is also the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud.
Despite that, Reading manager Steve Clarke believes they can upset the apple cart and that confidence appears to have rubbed off on his players.
"We have to go there with a game plan and the manager will prepare us for that correctly," Pearce said.
"Over the next couple of days he'll really hammer home how he wants us to play and we'll go there with a compact shape, not to be isolated by certain players,
"If you've got world class players and you're isolated one v one, they can hurt you.
"So we need to go there, be compact, help each other out and hopefully when we get the ball we can cause them a couple of problems.
"I think we've got players in our team who are underestimated themselves and who can cause Arsenal big problems going the other way."
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