Is Gareth Bale really so much better than the likes of Theo Walcott?

Provocative though the title of this article is, I’d like to think that it could generate some sensible discussion. Most non-Spurs fans are by now willing to accept that Gareth Bale has been hugely overrated this season and that he was undeserving of receiving the PFA Player of the Year award for his contributions in the Premier League. Whilst I understand the right of fans to protect and defend their players, I can’t help but feel that as every game goes by, Gareth Bale is beginning to be more and more ‘found out’.

That’s not to say I don’t think he’s a good player – maybe even a fantastic player, but he scarcely merits the kind of foamy-mouthed, blind-adulation that the Press have thrown in his direction. After his two performances against Inter Milan, Bale has very much become a victim of his own hype. So high was his stature at about the mid-point of the season that it’s not surprising that he has disappointed on a number of occasions since. You simply can’t perform at that high a level week-in and week-out, unless you are a Lionel Messi or a Cristiano Ronaldo and despite what a small pocket of Tottenham fans would have you believe, Bale simply isn’t at that level.

I was particularly disappointed with his recent performances against big opposition Arsenal (20^th April) and Chelsea (last night). My foremost memory of Bale’s performance against Arsenal was his being poleaxed by Wojiech Szczesny; otherwise the Welshman added very little to a sizzling North London Derby. His performance against Chelsea was even more negligible. Bale all too often gave the ball away in dangerous positions and failed to provide any ammunition for Spur’s ailing strikers. I counted three crosses from the 21-year-old, two of which were wildly over-hit, the third of which was blocked. Chelsea’s Ivanovic stayed closed to Bale for most of the game and rendered him pretty much ineffective.

I hope that these recent performers put to bed a couple of myths that surround Bale’s legend. First, the myth that Bale comes to life in the big games. Barring his performances against Inter Milan and Arsenal (earlier in the season at the Emirates) he hasn’t really stood out against any of the big teams.

Secondly I’ve seen numerous fans defend Bale’s poor assist rate (1 assist in the Premier League all season) on the basis that Spur’s strikers simply aren’t good enough. But on the basis of Bale’s deliveries against Chelsea it’s clear why he hasn’t racked up a plethora of assists: it’s an area of his game that needs more work.

I know Gareth Bale’s season has been interrupted by injuries, but that excuse will only stand up for so long. Theo Walcott is another player who has had his season blighted by injury. Yet whenever Walcott makes a return for Arsenal he looks vital, alive and dangerous – something that’s not always the case with Bale. As a result Walcott has registered much better stats this season than Bale, both in terms of goals and assists, but there’s more to football than statistics right?

In that regard, I’d argue that Walcott offers more to Arsenal than Bale offers to Spurs. When Bale’s closely marked, he often disappears out of the game, failing even to drag the opposition defence about a bit and create room for Tottenham’s strikers. Walcott on the other hand, always seems capable of making runs inside centre-backs, even when he’s closely shadowed. His crossing has improved drastically this season, he’s got as much, if not more pace than Bale and he uses the ball better.

I’m sure that Tottenham fans will favour Bale and Arsenal fans will favour Walcott, but I do believe there’s a decent debate to be had about the two player’s relative merits. They both have big futures ahead of them but it’s my opinion that Walcott will end up leaving a bigger mark on world football.

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