Bale vs Walcott

The former Southampton trainees will come face to face this weekend as Arsenal and Spurs go head to head. The question is who would you rather have in your side?

Walcott left Southampton in January 2006 to join Arsenal and burst onto the scene as a surprise inclusion in Sven Goran Eriksson's 2006 World Cup squad. Although he didn't play in the tournament his reputation in the game rose greatly and with that so did the expectations.

It took Bale slightly longer to leave The Saints, he eventually made the move to Arsenal's North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur during the summer of 2007. Unfortunately his arrival didn't go as smoothly as Theo's. In fact the Welshman hadn't been in a winning Spurs team until January of this year.

While Bale was having a torrid time at Spurs, Walcott was establishing himself in the Arsenal side during the 2008/2009 season. He made a great number of starts on the right wing, drawing many comparisons to his former team mate Thierry Henry. He also became a regular in the English squad during this time scoring a hat-trick in 4-1 demolition of Croatia in Zagreb. The 2009/2010 season was one of frustration for Walcott as he suffered a series of injuries that restricted him to 15 starts all season.

Bale managed to lift the curse on his Spurs career with a win over Fulham in January. Since then the Welshman hasn't looked back with a series of breath taking performances last season. He was shifted from left back to his new role on the wing. A move which suited him down to the ground, with many likening him to compatriot Ryan Giggs.

This season started with a bang for both players. Bale bagged himself a brace in the second game of the season against Stoke while Walcott went one better netting a hat-trick against Blackpool. In his next game Theo scored again however he was to pick up yet another injury which had him sidelined until October.

Gareth Bale went from strength to strength turning in man of the match performances home & away to European champions Inter Milan. Since then he has been linked to every top side in Europe with managers queuing up to pay compliments to the winger.

Since returning from injury Walcott has failed to establish himself in the Arsenal side. It remains to be seen if he can force his way back into the side for this week ends derby. Should he manage it we should be treated to displays of blistering pace by the rival wide men.

Both players have shown great ability recently but it's impossible to look past Gareth Bale on current form when deciding who you'd rather have in your side.