When Theo Walcott ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament on his left knee during Arsenal’s 2-0 third round FA Cup win against Tottenham last year in January, he knew he was set to miss the World Cup in the summer. He had to undergo surgery which would have ruled him out for at least six months which meant that he wouldn’t recover in time to represent his country in Brazil. It was one of the biggest injury blows the English team had to endure and everyone was praying for a speedy recovery for the speedster from the Southampton academy.

On the other hand, Danny Welbeck was struggling to find a purple patch at Manchester United which every striker needs to thrive and make a name for himself on the professional stage. On transfer deadline day of the new season, he found himself being offloaded to The Gunners for a transfer fee of £16million pounds because new manager Louis van Gaal said that he doesn’t score enough. A year later, supporters now don’t know whether Theo is happy and whether he would sign a contract extension at Arsenal. If you take a step back and look at their reputations at the beginning of the season, Theo was the man England missed the most at the World Cup and Danny was the man United didn’t want. And yet, Welbeck is being consistently chosen ahead of the speedy winger by Arsène Wenger in recent weeks. Why is it so? What seems to have changed?

Walcott has not made it any secret that he wants to be a player like Thierry Henry and when you look at some of the goals he’s scored, his finesse as he slots the ball into the far corner, you would think he has a genuine chance. Yet for all that talent, speed, dribbling, quick-thinking, he lacks the physical power that the "King of Highbury" possessed. Arsenal’s current style of play involves a one-top striker who links up play by heading down long balls to onrushing team mates or by laying the ball off for his comrades while holding off the opposition defender. This particular attribute itself requires a lot of physical strength and good heading ability and Olivier Giroud single-handedly dominates that position. However, that’s not the spot for which Theo and Danny are contesting for. With Giroud occupying that spot tightly and Alexis Sanchez dominating the left flank, only the right wing is a rotational option. Even there, Oxlade-Chamberlain poses a question to his England international seniors. However, with Wenger mentioning that Alex could evolve into a central midfielder, it’s once again down to the battle of the Ws – Walcott and Welbeck.

Welbeck has pace, but not as much as Walcott. Very few can match him for pace. Welbeck is a good dribbler of the ball but not as good as Walcott when it needs to be done with pace. When it comes to finishing, Theo maybe clips it a bit better than Danny. Welbeck has better power and hold-up play than Theo which is a crucial factor in Arsenal’s current attacking set-up. That means Welbeck is a bit more versatile. But the most crucial factor is probably the work-rate. Theo doesn’t often track back and provide defensive support to his defensive team-mate down the right flank. Welbeck has proven in recent matches that he has the stamina, energy and willingness to track back and do whatever is necessary for the team.

Upon recently returning from injury, Theo was handed his first start against Hull City in the FA Cup third round match; what a déjà vu that his last start for Arsenal was also in the same round of the same competition, exactly one year ago. However, his lack of match practice and confidence was evident as he couldn’t capitalize on some early opportunities. He did manage to score for Arsenal later however but somewhere, there is a bit of hesitancy in decision making. He is still out of touch. Welbeck however, has recently scored against his former club and knocked them out of the cup and is in scintillating form on the international stage.

It may be easily forgotten that Theo and Danny are only 26 and 24 years old respectively and that their best years are yet to come. Currently, based on form alone, Welbeck is better than Walcott. Hence, given the form in which Giroud is in, Welbeck will be pushed wide to the right or the left, depending where Alexis plays. The only way Theo is getting into this team now is when Giroud is rested and Welbeck needs to play as the lone striker, thus vacating the role on the wings. And even there, if The Ox is fit, Theo might find it hard to push for a starting position. However, as seen with Aaron Ramsey in the past, Wenger might just persist with Theo a bit more because the solution to the problem is after all, match practice.