Gareth Bale (31 years old) seems increasingly removed from his best version. The Welshman returned home to Tottenham last summer, the club where he became one of the best footballers on the planet. In London he is an idol and the fans expected the best of him, but what they have found is a very different footballer from the one who left the club in 2013 to become, at that time, the most expensive signing in history (101 million paid by Madrid).
Against Chelsea, Mourinho gave him no minute. A situation that is especially surprising if the situation is analyzed. Despite Harry Kane’s absence due to injury, Bale was a substitute (Vinicius, Son and Bergwijn were the offensive trident). His position on the bench has become commonplace, although what happened during the match shows the zero confidence that Mou currently has in him. With the Spurs losing 0-1, the Welshman spent most of the second half warming up on the wing. The Portuguese coach made offensive changes, but he ‘forgot’ about Gareth: Lucas Moura and Lamela reinforced the attack plot.
The match ended with Tottenham’s defeat and without Mourinho exhausting the three changes. Bale was the only offensive player left to the coach on the bench, but he preferred not to put more gunpowder on the field than to trust the player on loan from Real Madrid. In fact, in the last minutes the Welshman stopped warming up and returned to his position in the substitute seat to watch the last minutes of the duel.
After the match, Mourinho was asked about the fact that Bale did not have a minute on such an important day: “I give my best, he gives his best and everyone gives their best”, was the answer. The Portuguese was enigmatic and, visibly annoyed, chose not to delve further into the matter.
The reality is that Bale’s future is increasingly far from London. Madrid yielded to Tottenham in the hope that he would find his football again and stay there, but now everything suggests that the whites will have a problem again next summer, since the Welshman still has a contract until 2022 …