Do you mean the games he disappears in or all of them? We all know he has quiet ones when the end product doesn't come off, but I have to admit to not focusing on the rest of his game, I'm always watching something else, I'll have to have a focus on Bale game. If we're likening him to say Ronaldo, style of play, not how good they are, these players have seemingly quiet games more often than not. He wasn't great v United by his own admission, yet scored in both still. He has also been criticised for not being a big game player, but he's put that right this year. A part of his game is to pop up in pockets of space, you can't just waltz into these spaces without dragging someone with you, so you do have to drift about a bit. What I'm asking, is what do you want to see from Bale. How can people compare Bale to Messi??, the latter has just scored in his 18th consecutive league game, or put another way, he's scored in every game since November last year! On Holtby, I thought he looked bright, sharp, and passed accurately in his first 2 apps, but yeah, its gone a bit tits up since, no idea why either. I've seen out of position, but I don't buy it, where you are doesn't stop the things I've mentioned.
Tip for AVB. Play a flat back four with Vertonghen at CB and Assou-Ekotto at LB. Play Dembele in central midfield. Why on earth did he tinker with the role of these players v Fulham? The parallels with 'Arry are uncanny. He has a good run of form, one player gets injured and so he makes wholesale changes to the team. Why? Spurs lack cover for the wingers and forwards, but reorganising the whole team isn't the way to cope with absences. Sigurdsson, Dempsey and Holtby should all be capable of stepping in and playing in a wide midfield role, right or left whilst keeping the rest of the formation intact.
Possibly I expect more from the role he plays, and because overall there is a lack of balance, I look at Bale roaming, hovering between midfield and attack and he does pop up in pockets of space, so if thats his role and what AVB expects of him, then he's doing his job. The reason I said he hasn't been great, is because I don't believe he is naturally a central attacking player and gets lost in that position, causing the whole attack to look out of sorts, Ade is dropping deep, and aside from lennon (who sticks to his role) , players don't seem to be linking up that well, so I prefer to see a player like VDV or a Mata in that type of role as they use the ball better and if you play the ball to a VDV or Mata, they can use it, spray a pass or bring others into the attack. As we know, Bale is very direct, a runner, quick bursts of pace, driving towards goal and maybe he will end up as a striker, who knows! as he has shown he can finish. Again, it could be just that I have different exceptions, but like you said he does go missing and if we watch him in that role, does he really offer a great deal aside from his wonder goals? Thats why I still believe hes best suited to starting on the left and switching to the middle if needed. Oh and comparisons to Messi! madness! Bale is a fantastic talent but the only comparisons I can see with say Ronaldo are the athletic aspects, but these players score 40, 50 goals a season, in big games, they are freaks of nature!
I used to play Baseball here,with Croydon Bluejay's for a couple of year's,we had quite a good team,we won the British Championship while i was there beating a team from Hull,up at waltham abbey.
I see now . Yes, Bale can spray a pass if its one thats blatantly on so it seems to me, but vision beyond that maybe not, so that does leave him with the direct approach, which as you say is probably better utilised from wide areas more repeatedly, repeated runs through the middle will get snuffed out. I think we suffer more when Bale or Lennon are out, (I accept we have won without on occasion, before anyone raises that) the outball becomes more predictable when there's only one of them. Something else I've thought of since the weekend, Demps and Dembele had less effective games, if there's a side that knows how to blunt those two it would be Fulham! I think its fair to say Sunday had many factors involved, some avoidable, some not.
Our crossing and setpieces against Fulham were very poor and Bale was a part of that. He was only getting the ball when in the middle or on the right which was sadly predictable. A lot of his play lately seems to be geared towards him working space for a shot and when it's not on he ends up playing a simple ball or trying a difficult inswining cross. No matter how he's marked in the middle though he will get chances but his effectiveness pretty much rests on one of his long shots being hit sweetly or the defence losing him. It's the same outwide, he relies on his crosses finding our strikers and at somepoint in the game getting one on one with the fullback. I don't think he has to be either a central, "free role" player or winger though, he can play in 2 positions plus pitch in on the right at times but that doesn't necessarily mean he's going to always get it right in terms of his decision making as to what positions he takes up during the match. Teams will find it difficult to make a plan for him if they're going into the game not knowing whether he's going to be playing mostly in the middle and drifting to the right or whether he's going to play as a natural winger on te left so it's up to AVB to instruct him where he wants him to concentrate on playing during a match. With Holtby I think we've got the ideal option to start in the middle, he can drift out wide and help the wingers out when they're getting doubled up on and even swap positions with them at times and also provide his own threat in the middle of the pitch with the tempo he brings to the game. Anyway, I think I've veered off what I wanted to say but in short, just because Bale's playing in one particular position at the time it doesn't mean that he has to play there, the less the opposition know about where Bale's going to play the better. Also just because he can play in more than one position it doesn't mean that he will no how to utilise taking up different positions in a match so the direction needs to come from AVB.
Tough game, we NEED a result but away from home at Swansea is going to be tricky. Just hope their form is now on a decline after the final. Lloris, Naughton, Dawson*, Vertonghen, Ekotto Dembele, Carroll Lennon**, Bale, Sig Defoe *Or Caulker if still injured. ** Or Dempsey if still injured. Subs: Friedel, Gallas, Walker, Caulker, Parker, Adebayor, Dempsey Hoping we'll nick a 1-0/ 2-1. COYS! EDIT: Noticed I completely left Holtby out which Relayer picked up on, I'd have him in the squad over Gallas
Bloody hell, a whole Lidls comment that I agree with completely. First Blatter and now this. I need a lie down.
I've been saying for a few matches that Bale needs to be back out on the left to help our balance. Especially as Lennon has been out. We're so dangerous when we play the overlaps with Walker and Lennon on the right getting in behind defenders, and bales solo efforts on the left. But as spurm pointed out on another thread, how on earth are we going to score if Bale's not playing central though? We've got no one we can rely on to get us goals, so I understand AVB's thinking behind this, despite how frustrating and risky it is. (as we've seen in the last few games)
Really? Congratulations. I'd be very pleased to win a national championship at anything--tiddlywinks, you name it. I've never played a real game of baseball in my life. A million games of softball, but not a single game of baseball. It requires joining a league, and I moved around a lot as a kid. Of course, softball's just an excuse to drink beer. I used to carry mine round the bases and drink in between pitches at shortstop. You have to be pretty deft not to spill any, and of course that gets progressively more difficult.
Agree with the sentiment although less so the team. Despite his problems this season, we just don't have an adequate replacement in Naughton to fill in for Walker. He had another great opportunity to make a mark last weekend and again failed to do so. Wandering out of position almost as much as Walker and failing to track the 'speedster' Berbs, he was also at fault for the goal. Sigs took two steps back after a couple or so forward in recent weeks and Dempsey might as well not have bothered coming on for all the good it did. The one missing out of your squad is Holtby - who I think is probably the type of player who would suit Swansea away. He might be a young player who hasn't shone in recent cameo appearances, but he has top level CL experience and I think we need to start showing a bit more faith in his ability. So I would be inclined to play him in the middle with Lennon and Bale out wide at least initially. As for the 'forward' position, not sure how Defoe actually ranks above Ade, as both are as inept as each other in front of goal. Ade at least has worked hard and on Sunday was still chasing down for a full 90 minutes, even after having done the same for 120 on Thursday. But as I say, difficult to choose between them for all the wrong reasons. Here's hoping that at least this time next Thursday or Friday, we still have all these players available to consider......
Agreed Relayer. I don't like the thought of starting either Ade or Defoe to be honest, but until Defoe ends this greedy personal quest for a goal, Ade has to start i guess. I've been on the guy's back recently, but to be fair, he is working hard. We'll need his height too. Holtby and Defoe will restrict us massively and our "football" will need to be extremely tidy for 90 mins due to the lack of height. I think that's too much to ask and Ade's the "better" option so we have a bit of variety.
Agreed he wasn't on his own in terms of culpability - there were several points ahead of Berbs applying the finishing touch where we could and should prevented it. What annoyed me was the fact that Naughton displayed exactly the same faults that we have seen from Walker this season - failing to be aware of movement around him - and then in this case not having the basic speed to make up for the lapse, which has saved Walker a few times.
Would take it the way things are right now - but unfortunately I think a win is a must. Not only from a points perspective, but from a confidence point of view for the remaining games.
As I said on the Arsenal board, whoever gets a better return of points from Swansea away and Everton at home (the fixtures you both have in common) is in the driving seat for top 4. Spurs simply have to beat Swansea and get form back quickly because regaining it won't be easy against Everton, City and Chelsea all in a row in the midst of European excursions. Failure to beat Swansea could mean 3rd is all but lost if Chelsea win at Southampton. It's all ifs and buts at this stage but I feel Swansea is a must win, can't afford to go 3 in a row winless at this stage and not be punished by the chasing pack.
