I am reminded of the first time Bale was at Spurs when there were many calls to get rid then Harry gave him a run in the team. I think we will get some fireworks from Bale before the end of the season.
With Bale more so than Alli I think it is a big part of it. Just not sure he trusts his body fully yet. Alli is more complicated though. I think he definitely has a part to play and I’d like to see more of him if we’re chasing games because though his body seems to let him down a bit he still has his instinct and a moment of magic in him.
He’s not had any where near enough game time yet, but from the glimpses we’ve seen he looks completely different to the one that left. I mean, he used to run. It’d be nice to see that, at the very least. Perhaps when he’s had a go at that, maybe he could have a go at sprinting. He was good at that, too.
Midway point of the season. Either Bale is going to play an important squad role in the remaining campaigns, from today, or he is not. < use it or lose it >
It's hard to get past the thought that foremost in his mind is being fit for the Euro tournament this summer (if it goes ahead). His national manager (scandals permitting) , Giggs used to **** Wales off for United, I think we're being used in reverse...just to get Bale fit for international football...but he's absolutely zero interest in risking getting injured for us. I didn't want him back 2 years ago and I don't think that Mourinho wanted him back this summer. This was all about Levy, his ego, proving something to Madrid and certainly, not his best idea.
Of the Levy reasons I stated : two = commercial, one = personal, one = on-pitch. I suspect that the commercial ones at worst are "zero sum" , and the on-pitch one is (currently) definitely zero sum. The personal one by definition is vindicated come May if the other ones are definitely greater than zero sum.
I don't think you can ignore the huge excitement generated among Spurs fans and the wider media on his return or his own clear excitement when he did return. So far the reality has not lived up to that expectation but it's not over yet. Jose has mentioned that Bale has lost confidence in his fitness and there is obviously a lot more going on than appears on the surface. Playing for Spurs in front of 60,000 is probably a bigger deal for him than a Euro tournament of short duration with limited expectations. The lack of crowds is ****ing up this famous return more than anything else I fear.