Too Soon for Tottenham to Think about Bringing Bale Back

Over the last fortnight, some of the dreams Tottenham Hotspur fans had back in the summer when Gareth Bale was set to join the club again have started to come to fruition. However, just a few weeks ago, people were wondering aloud if Bale was done. Given the unpredictable nature of Gareth Bale’s fitness and impact on the team, Tottenham fans should maintain a reserved excitement for Bale at this point. Thus it is far too soon to think about next season and where Gareth Bale will play.

Bringing Bale Back to Tottenham took Time

Tottenham fans have had to be very patient in waiting for Gareth Bale. First was the patience over the drawn-out saga that was the Welshman’s transfer to Real Madrid back in 2013. Then some seven years later fans waiting along the street heading into Tottenham Way for just a glimpse of the returning star.

Since that exciting day in late June of 2020, it has taken some time for Gareth Bale to get right. Bale has had several injuries even arriving from Real Madrid injured. Whether it has been the knee, a general knock, or an aggravated calf, Gareth Bale has struggled with injuries. The problem with injuries is that players miss both games and practices.

Missing practices with injuries only delay a player’s progression toward fitness. Of course, we also know that in football, it is not just about fitness but match fitness. Match fitness means players are ready for the sprints, the starts and stops, and all the rigors on the body that come with playing a game.

After working overcome injuries to his body and confidence and finally getting match fit, it is just in the last couple of weeks that Bale has finally shown the skills and abilities that fans and club hierarchy were hoping for. Now after just a few matches out have come the articles about next season and Bale coming back to Spurs. While getting Bale’s wages off the books will certainly help Real Madrid, it is far too soon to even think about next season for a few reasons.

Is Bale Really Back for Tottenham?

Gareth Bale has had some terrific performances of late. Now we begin to wonder if those performances are a true indicator of what we should expect or if they are a false dawn. Whether it was the physical conditioning or need to get to match fitness Bale has not played a ton of football this season for Spurs.

Tottenham has played 42 games in all competitions this season Bale has appeared in just 20 (47%) of the matches. Even in those 20 matches, Tottenham has not always gotten a full shift from the winger. In 42 games, Spurs have played 3780 minutes, Bale has played exactly 1,000 or 26% of the available minutes.

Even looking at the 20 games Bale has played, those 1,000 minutes only represent 55% of the available minutes in those games. In other words, Bale has not exactly played a lot. The good news is that even in just 1,000 minutes Bale has 11 goal contributions – 8 goals and 3 assists – which equates to essentially 1 every 91 minutes.

Even more optimistic for the Spurs is that all three assists and five of the eight goals have come in the new year. This means as Bale has truly gotten back to fitness and health so too has his form. So what is abundantly clear at this point is that Gareth Bale can be a major contributor and difference-maker for Tottenham Hotspur. Now the real question is if this play is here to stay or is just a flash in the pan.

With more games and minutes coming the question is if Bale can stay healthy

At this point, Tottenham essentially has 1/3 of their season left to play with as many as 21 games possible if they advance to the Europa League Final. With opportunities for silverware certain and more possible, there is a wonderful chance for Bale to make this season magical for Tottenham.

If Gareth Bale can make the kind of impact he has over the last several outings consistently moving forward, Tottenham has a chance to meet a lot of goals. However, to do this means Bale’s appearances and minutes are going to be going up significantly, and then the question becomes how does his body respond.

What complicates things for Tottenham is that in the middle of those 21 games are three games with Wales in late March.

Wales plays two World Cup qualifiers later this month against Belgium and the Czech Republic as well as a friendly against Mexico so we can anticipate Bale playing at least 180 minutes. It was during international play when many of the issues for Bale last started in the first place. It was pushing during international play just prior to the transfer to Spurs that Bale hurt his knee.

The good news is these dates in May have been known all along and this appears to all be part of the plan. Bale is finally healthy and firing at full power as the business end of the season for both Tottenham and Wales is about to begin. While a full year of Gareth Bale would have been great, if Tottenham can get the best out of Gareth Bale for this last third, then we can talk about next season.