Former Tottenham star Glenn Hoddle believes that Gareth Bale will excel in his second spell at Spurs due to his creativity, rather than the pace and power that was once the hallmark of his game.
Bale has struggled for competitive minutes in recent months, having fallen dramatically out of favour at Real Madrid before instigating a move back to the London side during the summer.
The Wales international has yet to feature for Jose Mourinho’s men, but when he does, Hoddle believes that he can be a tremendous asset to the team and to striker Harry Kane.
“Gareth might not be that box-to-box player he was five or six years ago, when he was all about using his pace,” Hoddle said on the Glenn Hoddle Footy Show podcast.
“Now, he might be as much a creator if he is played deeper or drops deeper, much the way that Harry Kane did when he provided all four goals for Son Heung-Min at Southampton recently. I can see Bale doing that for Kane.
Next Match
“I think Bale has the sensational ability to pass, he’s not just a ‘runner’ at defenders, I can see him as the creator maybe the team are lacking. Gareth’s always been one that has got that ability to pass the ball as well, he can play with his head up.
“In certain games, the other massive bonus for me and from a manager’s point of view for Jose, when you look along the bench you want game-changers and with Gareth coming in now, you’ve got Lucas Moura on the bench, possibly you might have Kane on the bench to rest him at times, you can have Son on the bench.
“Mourinho’s got flexibility up there now which really Spurs haven’t had. Kane had to play almost every minute when he’s fit and I think that flexibility is going to be massive for Tottenham, it really is.”
Tottenham approach the fifth round of Premier League fixtures with seven points in the bag, having bounced back from an opening-day loss against Everton.
Mourinho’s side have played some spectacular football, scoring five goals against Southampton, seven in the Europa League against Maccabi Haifa then half a dozen in a stunning 6-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford before the international break.
