Tottenham's Gareth Bale is once again the main subject of conversation with football fans and pundits. Spurs beat the defending champions Inter Milan 3-1 at White Hart Lane. Bale was the star of the show, as he was in the reverse fixture when he scored a brilliant hat-trick at the San Siro. That night, he left Inter right-back Maicon for dead and set up two goals.
Suddenly everyone from journalists to everyday fans were praising Bale as the best left midfielder in the world and wishing he was eligible for England.
I don't agree.
I'm not denying Bale has been brilliant in the Champions League this season; he has been one of the best players of the competition so far. But in the Premier League, the Welshman has not been as successful. He has only scored two goals and set up none. This is compared to the Champions League where he has scored four goals and assisted six, with four of those in the qualifying stages.
Now Bale played very well against Inter full back Maicon, lauded as one of the best players in the world. However, Maicon, like Dani Alves of Barcelona and Glen Johnson of Liverpool, is a very good attacking full back but is suspect defensively. That is why Bale has had great success in Europe against Inter because Maicon is not very good at defending, leaving Bale room to sprint down the line and whip crosses in. But Bale has a lot of joy playing against defenders who don't attack so much, like Phil Neville of Everton. From what I hear, Neville marked Bale out of the Tottenham vs Everton game played in October. Well, Neville must have been good because he was trending on Twitter!
I think Bale still as a lot to prove before he is even considered a world-class player. Like fellow Welshman Ryan Giggs, Bale needs to be more consistent in the Premier League and win more honours before he is even mentioned in a World XI.
Suddenly everyone from journalists to everyday fans were praising Bale as the best left midfielder in the world and wishing he was eligible for England.
I don't agree.
I'm not denying Bale has been brilliant in the Champions League this season; he has been one of the best players of the competition so far. But in the Premier League, the Welshman has not been as successful. He has only scored two goals and set up none. This is compared to the Champions League where he has scored four goals and assisted six, with four of those in the qualifying stages.
Now Bale played very well against Inter full back Maicon, lauded as one of the best players in the world. However, Maicon, like Dani Alves of Barcelona and Glen Johnson of Liverpool, is a very good attacking full back but is suspect defensively. That is why Bale has had great success in Europe against Inter because Maicon is not very good at defending, leaving Bale room to sprint down the line and whip crosses in. But Bale has a lot of joy playing against defenders who don't attack so much, like Phil Neville of Everton. From what I hear, Neville marked Bale out of the Tottenham vs Everton game played in October. Well, Neville must have been good because he was trending on Twitter!
I think Bale still as a lot to prove before he is even considered a world-class player. Like fellow Welshman Ryan Giggs, Bale needs to be more consistent in the Premier League and win more honours before he is even mentioned in a World XI.
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