Much has been made of the PFA Player of the Year award being handed to Tottenham winger Gareth Bale. There are those who claim that beyond a few reputation-bolstering games, the Welsh-wizard has done little to deserve the recognition. In reality, it’s not worth getting worked up about – the year in football hasn’t really brought with it a standout performer – it’s almost as though Gareth Bale won by default. I’d have given the award to Nani, since Samir Nasri has trailed off somewhat in the second half of the season, but that’s an irrelevance at this stage.
There’s an argument to be had that the reason Bale has the silverware on his mantle is because of an amalgamation of the hype heaped upon him and the English bias present amongst voters. The fact that Bale’s two biggest games this season came in the Champion’s League when the PFA Player of the Year award is supposed to be judged solely on the basis of the Premier League shows just what importance the role of ‘hype’ played in the final decision.
But this raises another question: Is Gareth Bale’s style of play better suited for European football? At the very least, statistically speaking, Bale seems to have more joy in the Champion’s League than in the Premier League. Beyond the statistics, however, I’d argue that Bale plays with a freedom in Europe that he’s rarely granted against Premier League opposition.
There could be any number of explanations for the statistical disparity. For a start Tottenham are pretty much an unknown entity in the Champion’s League. You can’t help but feel as though teams like Inter Milan and AC Milan turned up at White Hart Lane a little unprepared. They hadn’t done their homework on players like Bale and Luka Modric who caught them unawares. Inter Milan also suffered the same problem against Schalke ’04 this season.
Whilst Gareth Bale generally finds himself double-marked in the Premier League and with little time or space to move – playing in Europe is a different kettle of fish. Team’s haven’t set-up to stop him and as a result he’s profited from the lack of decent pressure whilst he’s on the ball. Tottenham play with a carefree abandon in the Champion’s League that has seen Bale’s rise to prominence gather pace.
As a result, Tottenham had a fantastic campaign in the Champion’s League this season claiming victory over both Inter and AC Milan, only to be beaten by a ravenous Real Madrid side. They have suffered in the Premier League however, when Gareth Bale is marked out the game and their more creative players can’t make use of the pockets of space that this opens up in other areas of the pitch.
The belief that Bale is best suited for European football – given English teams awareness of just what he can do, may well be behind Glenn Hoddle’s rather ill-judged comments that the Welshman would fit in at Barcelona. The Tottenham and England legend said: “I would say he would suit Barcelona. The way Barcelona play with a left-back but don’t play them at left-back, they play with left or right wingers.”
It’s not really Hoddle’s place to talk about Bale’s future – but I can’t deny the veracity of anything he says. I’m sure he’d be a success at Barcelona. The fact is however, that Bale will be a Tottenham player for the foreseeable future. As such, Tottenham must find a way of making better use of the space that Bale opens up when playing in the EPL. Whether that’s through more movement amongst the strikers or by utilising more midfield runners remains to be seen – but Harry Redknapp must ensure that his Welsh winger is just as effective in the Premier League as he is in Europe if Tottenham are going to establish themselves as a top four side.
Follow @ThePerfectPass on Twitter for details on all the latest updates and various football-related musings.
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.
Join the fantasy football revolution – for FREE with ThisisFutbol.com. Click here!
A pointless article, Bale was instrumental in getting us a top 4 finish in the league last year. In a difficult run in he tore both Arsenal and Chelsea apart in vital wins. He has been out injured for a period but has consistently performed well when fit this season, amazing volley against Stoke a classic example. What Bale misses is a frontline in form, Crouch hasnt the pace to match him, Defoe is off his game and Pav for all his likability is lazy. Levy needs to invest in a pacey striker who is strong and good in the air, this will mean crosses are more often converted and also helps us hold up the ball better which is where we struggled at home to Milan and away to real this year. The key for Levy is to get a player like Hulk who will mean Van De Vart strengths are also accomodated. This leaves the back line which needs strengthening, to me Kaboul is the answer to our right back issues, strong, big and pacey. This leaves Dawson and Gallas – so we need to back this up with a better solution than Bassong. Left back and GK there are question marks over but you need to replace with better to ensure success, proven players who meet the shortcomings of our existing players. Ekotto is light weight, great pace to cover position but crosses to back post needs work.
This is proof that anyone who knows nothing can publish shite on the internet.
Or maybe your post is?
The Player of the Year award was decided over the course of the calendar year 2010 – not over the course of the season 2010-11.
From January of last year, Bale was absolutely brilliant for Spurs in the Premier League. He has only tailed off this season because he was out (or hampered) for two months by a back injury and a subsequent hamstring tweak. He’s now returning to peak fitness.
As to his impact in the Premier League, you have to remember that any player is only as a good as the team mates around him. Bale can’t do it all. He can’t beat two opposition players, send over an inch perfect cross and then get himself in the box in time to bury his own cross in the back of the net!
Time and again in the Premier League, Bale has done his bit, only to be let down by our woefully misfiring strikers. If they had done their bit, Bale would likely have 20 assists this season – most of them before the end of 2010.
So…………no. You’re wrong to say that Bale is only really effective in Europe.
Bale didn’t deserve it and it just goes to show that footballers as susceptible to media hype as the knuckle-dragging apes who have commented above.
Speaking of apes, the Planet of the Apes extra Bale ran rings around two different Milanese sides and won an award for it. That’s just daft and the PFA award is usually a complete farce anyway, like when Giggs won it on a sympathy vote. Footballers proving the stereotype that they are indeed thick.
Not the best overall this player this season, or over the calendar year as JimB suggests.
blahblah – after your words of wisdom, you do you think should have won the award?
blahblah – Bale deserved it because he got the most votes from his peers. Simple as that.
And if you really think that it was only because of the two games against Inter (he didn’t run rings around AC Milan because he was injured for the first game and only managed 15 rusty minutes on his comeback in the second) then you must have been asleep or comatose for most of 2012.