Thursday was a day to savour for Gareth Bale, as he scored his 200th career goal, 57 of which have come for Tottenham. (More Football News)
It was his first goal in Europe for Spurs since March 2013 against Inter and his first away from home (excluding qualifiers) since that famous hat-trick against the Nerazzurri back in October 2010.
Performances like that led Bale on the path to becoming the first €100million player, but despite his goal in the 3-3 draw with LASK, today's Bale is a very different animal.
He returned to north London on loan after being consigned to the role of wearied Real Madrid substitute under Zinedine Zidane, but his second spell in the Premier League has barely caused a ripple.
In fact, as in-form Spurs prepare for Sunday's derby with Arsenal, Bale has once more settled into the role of expensive bench-warmer, an impact player who is yet to make any discernible impact upon Jose Mourinho's plans.
LASK-LUSTRE
Bale would surely relish the chance to be unleashed against Arsenal – after all, he has scored바카라 웹사이트five goals in 10 league appearances바카라 웹사이트against the Gunners, and there are concerns about the fitness of Harry Kane.
However, given Mourinho's comments about his players lacking "enthusiasm" for this week's Europa League match, some of the starting XI in Austria could be fighting a losing battle to keep their places.
Bale converted Spurs' first penalty of the match to get on the scoresheet for the second time in his second stint at the club, but his was not a display to capture the imagination. While he attempted바카라 웹사이트more shots바카라 웹사이트than anyone else (four), his penalty was the only one to hit the target. Moreover, he created바카라 웹사이트no chances바카라 웹사이트for his team-mates and only completed바카라 웹사이트14 passes바카라 웹사이트in his 82 minutes on the pitch, fewer than any other starting Spurs player apart from Tanguy Ndombele (12) and Lucas Moura (nine) – and they were both substituted 17 minutes earlier.
Bale has started once in the Premier League and five times in the Europa League this season and been taken off every time. While fitness was perhaps an excuse in the first few weeks after his arrival in September, surely now he should be expected to play in, and influence, a full game.
NOT-SO-SPLENDID ISOLATION
Bale always seemed like an opportune gamble rather than a signing to suit a Mourinho system, and so it has proved.
Compared with his team-mates in the Premier League, the 31-year-old has done little to justify more game time, even including his winning goal against Brighton and Hove Albion on November 1.
Bale averages close to바카라 웹사이트five shots per 90 minutes, which is actually the most of any Spurs player this term, but his conversion rate of바카라 웹사이트16.7 per cent바카라 웹사이트is only fifth best.바카라 웹사이트Kane (18 per cent)and바카라 웹사이트Son Heung-min바카라 웹사이트in particular (45 per cent) are significantly more threatening from shooting positions.
His link-up play is of greater concern. In his three league games, Bale has created only바카라 웹사이트two chances바카라 웹사이트from open play,바카라 웹사이트half바카라 웹사이트as many as바카라 웹사이트Giovani Lo Celso바카라 웹사이트and way down on바카라 웹사이트Son바카라 웹사이트(11) and바카라 웹사이트Kane바카라 웹사이트(19). Overall, he has completed바카라 웹사이트20 passes, the fewest of any Spurs player to make a league appearance with the exception of바카라 웹사이트Carlos Vinicius, who has played 12 minutes.
Bale does at least attempt바카라 웹사이트three dribbles바카라 웹사이트on average per 90 minutes, more than all but two of his team-mates, but he has yet to attempt바카라 웹사이트a single cross바카라 웹사이트from open play. If these runs with the ball do not end in a hopeful shot, they appear to yield nothing.
His level of disconnect from the rest of his team is even greater than it was바카라 웹사이트at Madrid last season. In 16 LaLiga games, Bale attempted바카라 웹사이트45 open-play crosses, averaging nearly바카라 웹사이트four per 90 minutes. He also attempted roughly바카라 웹사이트three dribbles바카라 웹사이트and nearly바카라 웹사이트36 passes per appearance.
SHOULD SPURS HAVE SEEN THIS COMING?
Mourinho, then, has little reason to thrust Bale into the starting line-up of a Spurs side presently looking one of the best in England's top flight and on a six-game unbeaten run in home league clashes with Arsenal. Recent history would also suggest the Wales star will not seize a more regular role heading towards 2021, either.
Only once since the 2015-16 season has Bale started바카라 웹사이트more than half of all matches바카라 웹사이트across all competitions (he was in the line-up바카라 웹사이트51 per cent바카라 웹사이트of the time in 2018-19). That season, he made바카라 웹사이트42 appearances바카라 웹사이트for Madrid; in 2019-20, that number바카라 웹사이트dropped by more than half바카라 웹사이트(20), while he only started바카라 웹사이트14 times, or바카라 웹사이트27.5 per cent바카라 웹사이트of all games.
This term, prior to Thursday's Europa League match바카라 웹사이트he started바카라 웹사이트27.8 per cent바카라 웹사이트of matches and had been involved in바카라 웹사이트39 per cent바카라 웹사이트overall (seven appearances), effectively the same portion as he managed last season. However, in the league, he has only played in바카라 웹사이트30 per cent바카라 웹사이트of Spurs' games (three) and started just바카라 웹사이트once. Even in 2019-20, as rumours of discontent with Zidane grew and images of Bale yawning among the substitutes spread, he still managed to play in바카라 웹사이트42 per cent바카라 웹사이트of Madrid's league matches (16) and started바카라 웹사이트12 times바카라 웹사이트(31.6 per cent).
Bale's best recent season for league games was in 2014-15, when he started바카라 웹사이트30 times바카라 웹사이트(79 per cent) and made a further appearance as a substitute. He has scarcely got close to that level of involvement since. And although injury problems and issues with Zidane have been partly to blame, a fully fit Bale should realistically walk into Tottenham's team if he had the form to back up the expectations. Mourinho, at least, appears unconvinced.
A goal against Arsenal would certainly boost his prospects, but, right now, Bale looks little more than a luxury (and dispensable) accessory to a well-oiled Spurs machine.
