Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
Peter Crouch explains reasoning for Gareth Bale’s slow start at Tottenham
that he believes Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is the reason to blame for Gareth Bale’s slow start to life at Tottenham Hotspur, under Jose Mourinho.
Bale, 31, rejoined Tottenham in the summer on a season-long loan from Real Madrid – seven years after Bale left the club to join Madrid in 2013. He has the option of extending that loan by another season next summer.
But Bale has struggled to make a huge impact as of yet. The 83-time Wales international has clocked up eight appearances this season – five of which have come in the Europa League, and has only netted on two occasions.
His first was a crucial header against Brighton in the Premier League, but his second was a penalty during a 3-3 draw with LASK. Crouch responded to a question about Bale, and thinks Zidane is to blame for his slow start.
“It was unrealistic for people to expect Gareth to come back from seven years in Spain and be the turbocharged winger who blew us away,” . “His last two years in Madrid were ruined by Zinedine Zidane.
“One thing I have noticed is that he is cleverer in terms of how he times his runs and when he engages top gear. The more I see them, the more I see genuine title challengers. Gareth will play his part to help, for sure.”
TBR’s view – What does Bale need to do to start for Tottenham?
He needs that match sharpness and natural fitness back. Thursday will be his last Europa League match until after Christmas, and therefore his only game time over the next month or two might be from the bench.
On Thursday, he needs to score and he needs to provide the difference for Spurs. Clearly, Mourinho likes to play with hard-working wingers against bigger sides – which is why Steven Bergwijn started against Man City and Arsenal.
Tottenham face a tricky away trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday and that could be a chance for Bale to start. It remains to be seen whether Bergwijn will keep his place – perhaps, that could depend on Bale’s performance on Thursday.
