Gareth Bale - the Messiah - soccer thread

[FrediKanoute]

Its not often you get privileged to see how one individual can affect a team, but the impact Gareth Bale has had on Spurs in the last 12 months has been nothing short of astounding. For years Spurs have struggled on the left....the litany of average players who filled the left wing and left back positions would make you weep. Not any more with Gareth Bale on the left, Spurs have a player who is quick, strong, tall and has fantasic control.

Over two legs against last years Champions Leaue winners Inter Milan, Bale scored 3 goals and gave away 2 assist out of the total 6 goals Spurs scored. Last night he again made the world's best right back Maicon look like a player needing a taxi just to keep pace with the kid.

The challenge for Spurs now.....is how do you keep a guy like Gareth Bale when clubs like Chelsea, Man U, barca, Real Madrid etc come looking?

[The Coon Dog]

Re: Gareth Bale - the Messiah

The challenge for Spurs now.....is how do you keep a guy like Gareth Bale when clubs like Chelsea, Man U, barca, Real Madrid etc come looking?

The key is to a) progress as far into the Champions League as possible & b) finish in the top 4 so Champions League football continues.

Unless you're money bags like Man City, the main incentive in attracting & retaining the better players in providing them with Champions League football.

Bale's break out of defence, long ball to turn & out run Maicon & set up Pav was as good as you could ever hope to see, simply breathtaking!

[LostDoggy]

Re: Gareth Bale - the Messiah

Last night he again made the world's best right back Maicon look like a player needing a taxi just to keep pace with the kid.

Is that a fact cos re Maicon? I have no idea about other good RBs in the world atm. He made him look second rate. All 3 goals came from his side.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Gareth Bale - the Messiah

Maicon was named the best defender in the end-of-season Champions League awards last year -- and his previous coach Jose Mourinho says that he is 3 players in 1, a brilliant right back, a top class winger, and a very good finisher when he gets in the box. So it's fair to say he's a pretty good player.

Perhaps the best right-backs in the world (Dani Alves etc.) would struggle against Bale because we don't really have that many pacey left wingers left so they are no longer used to facing them, as the left forward position is now where what we would have called creative no.10s hang out to get space to create (Iniesta, Rooney at times) or forwards that drift in and out (David Villa, Javi Hernandez) so the right-back position, not having to mark a fast winger, has become a de facto deep attacker (as both Maicon and Alves are) rather than a straight out defender (like Gary Neville, say).

It's also ironic that since England has been long crying out for a good left sided midfielder, among the two best in the world in the last 20 years -- Ryan Giggs and Gareth Bale, who have very similar styles in the early parts of their careers -- both play and grew up in England, but play their international soccer with Wales. They both would have qualified to play for England too if they had been picked before Wales picked them, which makes it even more ironic.

[Topdog]

Re: Gareth Bale - the Messiah

It has been an absolute pleasure to watch him. In regards to keeping him I think you underestimate how many teams would simply not be able to afford him.

Real Madrid and maybe Barca are the only teams that can*

*Obviously City can buy every player in the World so no point including them.

[Twodogs]

Re: Gareth Bale - the Messiah

My son is a huge Arsenal supporter and hates Spurs with a passion but Gareth Bale is his favorite player in the world. He said that last weeks Champions League game was his favorite game ever. For him it had everything-a hattrick from Bale and a tragic Spurs loss.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Gareth Bale - the Messiah

Thank God there's only 143 days to go, so that I don't have to read about Soccer.
Would much rather Gaelic footy

[The Coon Dog]

Re: Gareth Bale - the Messiah

Thank God there's only 143 days to go, so that I don't have to read about Soccer.
Would much rather Gaelic footy

No one asked you to read it Shnookie!

[Topdog]

Re: Gareth Bale - the Messiah

you could always not open the thread Shnookie. There is a reason we have a sports bar.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: Gareth Bale - the Messiah

you could always not open the thread Shnookie. There is a reason we have a sports bar.

If he wasn't a soccer fan he probably wouldn't know who Gareth Bale was - I didn't - so I opened the thread out of curiosity.

[Topdog]

Re: Gareth Bale - the Messiah

fixed

[BulldogBelle]

Re: Gareth Bale - the Messiah - soccer thread

I'm about to go and (attempt) to buy him on my Fifa 11 career mode due to that video.

I wish I could afford foxtel to catch more EPL, that was incredible.

[Remi Moses]

Re: Gareth Bale - the Messiah

No one asked you to read it Shnookie!

Bug Bear of mine as well .Some on here bring some semblance of Big Footy to these parts!
Eyebrows were raised when they got him from Southampton,but looks like a genius signing.
Reminds me of another Welsh wizard Ryan Giggs

[LostDoggy]

Re: Gareth Bale - the Messiah - soccer thread

I do think Spurs will struggle to hold onto Bale next season. Some big money will be thrown around.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Gareth Bale - the Messiah - soccer thread

I do think Spurs will struggle to hold onto Bale next season. Some big money will be thrown around.

I hope the Spurs will be able to keep him. That will suck as a Tottenham fan myself.