BEVERLY HILLS, February 01, (THEWILL) – The injury-forced absence of clinical finisher Harry Kane was felt by Tottenham Hotspur as the north London English Premier League club suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats with a 1-0 reverse at Brighton and Hove Albion in Sunday’s night fixture.
Although the club management and fans were encouraged by the initial diagnosis of the striker’s injured ankles, which were said to not be as badly damaged as initially feared and as the player had sustained in the past, he will still be sidelined for the time being while football will not take a break for Spurs.
Fortunately for the club, they have a player of Gareth Bale’s pedigree to call upon at this critical phase of their season. No doubts, Bale has the sophisticated chops to help the team soften the blow of losing Harry Kane and must possess the desire to make a concrete statement in his second spell at Tottenham.
Yet, it has not been smooth-sailing since his return on-loan from La Liga champions Real Madrid. The forward has struggled to make a major impression this season with Spurs and has only managed to start one Premier League game so far.
The Welshman has made four appearances as a substitute, and in his 170 minutes in the English top flight this season, has shipped one goal while creating four chances for his teammates. By his own high standards, that is not good enough.
If the rest of the season plays out in similar fashion without any noteworthy uptick in performance, it will be difficult to judge his loan spell any other way but as a disappointing gamble by the club that did not live up to its highly-rated value.
There was a justifiable basis to expect a lot more from his return. Bale netted an impressive 42 goals with a solid 20 assists in 146 Premier League games across his first spell at Spurs. It was a level of productivity that played a huge role in his, at the time, record-setting move to Madrid.
The onus is on him to determine how the history of his return to the home of his elevation will be concluded. As Kane faces some time on the sidelines, an all-round stepping up on Bale’s part will change the fortunes of the Jose Mourinho side.
He featured for 61 minutes before being substituted against Albion on Sunday and in his job as wingman for Heung-min Son, he failed to trouble Albion keeper Robert Sanchez with no shots on goal and no shots on target. Completing only 14 of 21 passes, he dwindled in what Mourinho had termed his “crucial moment” in the lead up to the tie.
The truth is that Kane’s shoes are never going to be easy for any one player not cast in his mould to fill. His linchpin character is at such a level as to be difficult to replace exactly. Yet, that void cannot be left in a vacuum with the calendar of matches Spurs face and the improvements in teams contesting for the top spots in the league table.
Earlier this season, Kane’s partnership with Son fired up the entire Spurs team and carried them all the way to the summit of the EPL. Now, they are without a host of forwards as they suffered for a while last season.
They invested during the summer transfers and can point to the presence of such talents as Carlos Vinicius, Steven Bergwijn, Lucas Moura, Dele Alli and Bale all available this time.
The problem is which one can do 12 Premier League goals and 11 assists for Spurs as Kane has? Which of the lot can bring better than expected results from the stats that Kane pulls each time? Where is the player with the near-telepathic reading of strike partner Son to wreck opposing defenses and give Spurs victories?
That is where THEWILL believes lies Bale’s golden opportunity to make his return to London. He needs to step into that space and if not exceed, at least match Kane for contribution to the team. He has what it takes. He must now show it.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
