With Gareth Bale making a dramatic move back to Tottenham where will the Welshman fit into José Mourinho's Spurs rebuild as they prepare to get back into the Champions League?
On Saturday the 19th of September 2020 Tottenham Hotspur announced they had resigned fan favourite and once Premier League wonder-kid Gareth Bale on a season long loan from Real Madrid, the team he left for back in 2013. A lot has changed in the world of football and at Tottenham since Bale made the world record at the time switch to the Bernabeu for an estimated £85.1 million.
Big changes at Tottenham
It’s fair to say that since the record sale of Bale was completed Spurs have developed as a club on the pitch and away from it however with very little success to show for it in the form of silverware. When Bale was sold the club had just finished 5th in the 2012/13 campaign completing the season with their record points tally at the time of 72 points. This promising end to a season was not enough to keep the 24 year old away from the tempting attention he was garnering, Real Madrid eventually signed him under manager Carlo Ancelotti. Three head coaches since his departure and consistent top six finishes leave Tottenham in a standstill where they are looking to move to the next level under manager José Mourinho since the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino.
Seven years ago Spurs were a good side who had a decent squad with ambitions of becoming a top Premier League club for years to come and eventually move onto winning trophies. They have in those years moved to a state of the art stadium in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, transformed the clubs youth academy, came second in the Premier League and reached the Champions League Final in 2019. In five full seasons with Mauricio Pochettino in charge they finished in the top six in all of those campaigns and branded themselves as a team that played an exciting calibre of football.
Unfortunately as we know in November of 2019 Pochettino was sacked after a poor run of results and a clear indication that things were not necessarily going to get better quick enough to reach the seasons objectives. However Pochettino left Mourinho with a team that was looking for a leader and a squad that had immeasurable talent but just didn’t have the silverware to show for it. Players like Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Heung-Min Son, Harry Winks, Eric Dier and Lucas Moura are surely talented but need a serial winner in the team as well as one as head coach which sadly Pochettino couldn't provide them with.
Jose Mourinho’s side will be looking to improve upon their six place finish which though two places below their 2018/19 fourth place finish will take some positives going into the new campaign. Mourinho brought defensive structure to spurs and as seen in the recent “All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur” documentary has been trying to turn them into a side of warriors who doing not hold back from a challenge and give 110%. Mourinho’s current Tottenham signings include Gedson Fernandes and Steven Bergwijn who were brought in January of 2020 along with summer deals of a Matt Doherty, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joe Hart, Sergio Reguilon and a permanent move for Giovani Lo Celso.
Bale comes into a Spurs side in transition as Mourinho is finally able to bring in the players he needs for this rebuild. Tottenham are now however missing one big component of the Pochettino era that being Jan Vertonghen who left on a free for Benfica, a great defensive servant to the club making 315 appearances in eight years at the club. Time will tell if Spurs are able to sign a central defender before the window is up but right now the best form of defence is attack for José Mourinho's side.
Gareth Bale a point to prove
There is no doubt that Gareth Bale is a talented player who has won so many trophies throughout his career however it seems that even since the day he joined Real Madrid there has been a point to prove. Though his time in Madrid was filled with glory and silverware Bale has had a multitude of issues plaguing him in the Capital with rumours about his commitment to the club, a desire to go back to England and an obvious case of a player just not settling into a foreign country properly. There has been rumours about his relationships with team mates some sources suggesting he has little to no connection with them along with public disagreements with the manager, club and fanbase who were keen to see the back of him.
Real Madrid are a team that demand a certain amount of effort from their so called “Galácticos” with the slightest decrease in production from players leading to public unrest among the fans. Bale has also been troubled with injuries during his time in La Liga with over twenty five recorded injuries in seven years, this hasn’t stopped him however from making 251 appearances for Real scoring 105 goals and assisting 68 times.
There will always be that question however of what could have been for Bale if he had adapted to a his new life better and stayed fit, he could have gone onto win the Ballon d'Or or gone onto become a Real Madrid legend. Fifteen trophies including four Champions Leagues and two La Liga titles are still more than any player could dream to achieve in their career but it is questionable how big of a part Bale played in winning these titles considering he was playing for arguably the best Real Madrid side of all time. He will certainly be remembered however by Madrid fans for his fantastic bicycle kick goal against Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final which was in fact one of two goals he scored in that game as "Los Blancos" went onto win the cup 3-1.
Where Bale has never failed to make his presence known is when playing for his country. The thirty one year old is the captain of his national team and has been capped 85 times scoring 33 goals and assisting a further 14 goals. The forward is considered a Welsh hero in many respects as he is up there with the greatest sportsmen Wales has ever produced, his finest achievement for his country was leading Wales to the semi final of the Euro 2016 scoring three times in the competition joint third highest scorer out of all players. The Wales side Bale captained was one that was only beaten by rivals England and eventual winners Portugal, proving that a smaller nation can go all the way against some of the best in the world.
The common joke about Gareth being more keen on Wales and Golf is also clear with the “Wales. Golf. Madrid. In That Order” flag which was held by the Wales national team after they managed to qualify for Euro 2020 with Bale seen in the middle smiling with his teammates. This angered Madrid fans and head coach Zinedine Zidane who had begun to get sick of Bale’s antics away and at his contracted club.
Though a light hearted example of Bale’s love for his country and an example of his sense of humour it’s still something that many see as disrespectful and something I’m sure Tottenham fans will be hoping does not come up in North London. Bale will be looking to bounce back to the top of his game and with this loan back at the club that he shone at and will have every opportunity to prove his worth in the biggest league in the world.
How will Bale fit in at Spurs?
Tottenham are not a team that are weak on options in forward areas in fact that is likely where they have the most depth. On the wing especially Spurs are a threat with Erik Lamela, Lucas Moura, Heung-min Son, Steven Bergwijn, Jack Clarke and Ryan Sessegnon all able to play on the flanks. This doesn’t however necessarily mean that Bale cannot fit into Mourinho’s front line, they are crying out for a player who can bring that extra bit of superstar quality alongside Kane. The other forwards have proven themselves to be vital in front of goal but Bale is someone who would slot straight into that Right Wing position and add a bit of directness to the Spurs attack, power and speed with an eye for goal Bale has played on the right 175 times in his career and it’s the position he’s scored and assisted most from.
Spurs were also keen on signing another striker to play backup to Harry Kane with Napoli’s Polish talisman Arkadiusz Milik linked however it seems that he is on his way to Roma. However I believe that it would be possible to use Bale as an outright striker alone or as a backup to Kane, he’s a player who can play all across the front line and it would be no stretch to suggest he could perform in a central position. Jose is also a massive fan of Bale and was linked with his signature whilst manager of Manchester United so it's clear he want's him in his side no matter what.
Mourinho throughout his career has used the 4-2-3-1 formation a style that Spurs have adopted under him and most recently used in their opening day defeat to Everton in the Premier League. It is also switched to a 4-3-3 at times a formation he used with success during his time as Chelsea manager and in today’s 5-2 thrashing of Southampton. The football Mourinho has his teams play is different to that of previous head coach Mauricio Pochettino who was more known for possession based fluid play similar to teams like Manchester City, he goes with a more pragmatic approach where his teams are happy to be off of the ball and soak up pressure as long as chances are not being created in front of their goal.
Two players in a pivot sit in front of the defence to hold off the oppositions counter attacks and a playmaker plays ahead of them linking up with the wingers who come in centrally to start the attack. Balls are often pumped long to these creative players in hope they can start a break and penetrate the oppositions back line with the lone sticker in and around the box to finish any chances. These two images show how Mourinho's Spurs could lineup this season with new signings coming into the first team.
Though not a traditional number 9 (even if he does have the number on his back) Bale does have that killer touch and finish in him which could suit him well to being a Mourinho esc striker like Drogba and now Kane, his ability on the ball should also help him in that position and a bit of added flair would be no harm done. If not simply just upgrading that right wing with Bale certainly makes the transfer worth it as there are very few players of his quality going, he also has that power and toughness about him which Mourinho likes and is reflected in his other transfer dealings.
Potentially I believe that Gareth Bale could be the answer to one of Spurs many on going problems, not only is he a fan favourite who is sure to get the new kits flying off of rails but he will guarantee goals and gives Spurs another deadly option in attack. He may not be the centre half they crave or the target man they need but Gareth Bale is still miles ahead of what many other clubs would be able to target this summer and being a loan is a low risk high reward proposition.
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