The Wander of Gareth Bale....

 

Something has been bugging me about Tottenham's simian looking winger and it isn't whether he is a serial diver or not. I can't be sure if it is him doing this, or some sort of directive from England manager elect 'Arry Redknapp, but the welsh wizard is spending far too much time off his natural left wing position for my liking.

Now, I have no problem with wingers playing on the opposite flank to their natural position and nor do I particularly have a problem with them coming inside and playing more centrally at times during a game. Bale did this to the effect of two goals against Norwich a couple of months ago and can be effective when doing so. What I cannot stand though, as a spurs fan, is seeing the primary outlets of Spurs' attacking play out of action. Bale coming inside is all fine and dandy with a flying Aaron lennon on one of the flanks. This still gives Modric and Van Der Vaart something to aim at and spread the play (Kyle Walker is also a terrific outlet worth mentioning). But it seems to me, in the last few Spurs games I have watched, that Bale is coming to the right or to the middle and basically getting in the way of Luka and Rafa. This isn't a comment on his ability to be in these playmaking positions (I am sure he has this in his locker) but currently the aforementioned are far better and less adaptable to anything else than Bale himself.

It went to new levels on sunday in THAT defeat to l'arse (another post I intend not to bother with) when Spurs, from being the most effective team in the Premier League for wing play, were reduced to having no-one playing out wide of the 'flying' variety (how Lennon wasn't introduced I will NEVER know).

Personally I am all for movement and players switching positions to cause chaos but when the chips are down get back to the basics. For Bale that means get on the left flank and tear the fullback apart with that pace and power you have displayed many times but, none more so than the game pictured above. Here is hoping the Lennon\Bale wing play is back in action at the Lane against United on Sunday.

COYS!