As we have said, Gareth is not one for nerves. He is a confident lad with a positive attitude and an optimistic outlook on life. He does not believe in getting panicky about foreboding situations – but even he admitted to the odd butterfly as the return encounter with the European champions drew ever nearer.
Inter would arrive at the Lane on November 2 eager to prove that Bale’s hat-trick at the San Siro was a flash in the pan; a late flurry after they had eased their feet off the pedals. And the Brazilian full-back Maicon would travel to London determined to put the humbling he had suffered at Gareth’s feet behind him. He would breeze into the Lane confident that he would have enough in the tank to stop Gareth in his tracks – and reclaim what he believed was his rightful claim to being the best full-back on the planet.
But all that would have to wait. First Gareth and his Spurs team-mates had to negotiate two extremely tricky Premier League matches. Everton at home and Manchester United away. Harry Redknapp looked at the two fixtures and set his team the target of four points; in the event, they would end up with a miserly one.
In hindsight, it was maybe inevitable.
Such was the massive high after the late comeback via Gareth’s hat-trick in Milan that a low would follow as surely as night follows day. And that was the case: Spurs struggled in those two Premier League matches and Gareth’s form temporarily deserted him, too.
If the team was functioning at full strength, you would probably have expected Harry’s demand for four points to be achieved – three against Everton and, hopefully, one at Old Trafford. Even the omens were good: after their four previous Champions League games – two in the play-offs and two in Group A – Spurs had won three and lost one.
Everton arrived with only two away goals all season, both at Birmingham in their previous game on the road when they secured their first win of the season. So it was all looking hopeful but, like a bottle of champagne that had lost its fizz, Tottenham then went and struggled against the Toffees and United.
There was even a suggestion in the Press Box before the match that Redknapp had noticed how tired and deflated his men looked as they prepared for Everton. He told one close associate that ‘they seemed like a balloon that had been popped’ – and that even Gareth was struggling to get his impetus back. ‘Harry asked them for four points from the two matches in the hope that it might lift their spirits and give them something to aim for,’ a Spurs source said. ‘It was his way of psyching them up – he knew they had hit a wall and was hoping that he could help them back over it.’
As the Everton match loomed, the boss appeared to become more resigned to the likelihood that it might be a struggle – and admitted he was thinking about ‘freshening things up’ in an attempt to beat the problem. He said: ‘It’s a difficult one. We’re still without people like Ledley [King], and a group of players that are not available. But Rafael van der Vaart is available and Sandro could come into midfield. It’s been difficult lately with a lot of travelling, internationals as well. We got back at 3.30am on Thursday, so I’ll look to freshen it up tomorrow a little bit. We have players desperate to play.
‘Everton are a good side, they had a dodgy start like they did last year but every year David Moyes gets them pushing. They will be up there pushing to get into Europe.’
Harry was spot on in his assessment. Moyes and Everton made life hard for their hosts on Saturday October 23. In particular, Phil Neville ‘did a job’ on Baley. The veteran fullback kept close to Gareth for the 90 minutes, hardly giving him room to breathe. Given that Gareth was still mentally and physically exhausted after his exploits in Milan, it was really no surprise that he struggled to get the better of Neville. The intent was there; the energy was not.
Gareth’s day was made all the tougher by the fact that the canny Moyes also employed winger Seamus Coleman to double up with Neville to halt his progress. Coleman’s natural defensive abilities – like Gareth he is a winger converted from full-back – and massive energy levels meant a worn-down Gareth never really stood a chance on the day.
It was an uphill battle and Everton nearly took all three points after taking a 17th-minute lead through Leighton Baines’ free kick. Fortunately, a blunder by Toffees keeper Tim Howard just three minutes later allowed Rafael van der Vaart to level and earn a point for Spurs.
Redknapp accepted that the point was better than none and declared himself reasonably happy – a sure sign that he had, privately at least, anticipated that the Everton match might be a match too far for his tired troops. It is fair to say that he was now certainly not unhappy that Spurs were already out of the Carling Cup – at least they would have a week off as other clubs battled it out in the competition during the following midweek.
Afterwards he said: ‘Everton are a good side and you’ll never get an easy game against them. I thought we had the better chances but it didn’t quite drop for us. You want to win every game, but what is important – when you’re not going to win – is not getting caught out late on with the sucker-punch and end up getting beat. Sometimes we have done that in the past, like at Wigan. ‘But we stayed solid and the centre backs were top class. We’ve always showed good spirit and a never-say-die attitude.’
Gareth could be reasonably happy with his contribution on a difficult day. No, he had not lit up the skies but he had tried his best when he was still tired out after his late exploits in Milan. And at least he avoided the treatment meted out to Peter Crouch by some disgruntled home fans – they chanted for him to be replaced by Roman Pavyluchenko when he missed a couple of easy chances. Redknapp defended the big man, who had not scored a Premier League goal since the previous May, pointing out he had set up three of Van der Vaart’s four goals so far and saying: ‘He gives you something else. You take Crouchy out of there and you’ve got to play perfect football to break teams down.’
Bale had no such problems with the crowd. As usual, he did his superstitious little jig in front of them before kick off and earned a rapturous applause as reward for his endeavours in the San Siro. He applauded them back and did his best in trying circumstances. By the end, he was exhausted and almost slumped to his seat in the dressing room afterwards. ‘I’m shot,’ he told his team-mates. ‘Absolutely knackered!’
Redknapp had seen the warning signs and now showed what an astute manipulator of players he is – and how good a man manager he is. He told Gareth to take a few days off – forget training, forget Tottenham, go on holiday somewhere and have a good time.
‘It will do Gareth good to take a couple of days extra off,’ Redknapp said later. ‘The kid needs it, he’s probably going to go away for three or four days and it’ll do him the world of good. He’s tired. The kid runs miles every game. He does unbelievable stats and takes some beating most days.
‘He gallops up and down. He’s got everything really. All the players look after themselves now and go to the gym in the morning and work after training with the fitness coaches. Gareth’s got stronger and stronger and has that physique that can take knocks, but I thought Phil Neville did a decent job on him.
‘Gareth has had two tough games with Wales and some tough games with us and needs a few days’ rest now.
‘He’s such a nice lad. I walked off the plane and said, “I bet you never dreamt of scoring a hat-trick at the San Siro”. What a thing for the rest of your life.’
Harry was definitely right about one thing: Gareth is ‘such a nice lad’. Imagine what the more big-headed ‘stars’ of the Premier League would have done if handed a couple of days’ extra break by their boss – gone to Dubai in a £5,000 a night seven-star hotel or maybe headed somewhere more raucous like Ibiza.
Gareth Bale made an altogether more measured choice. He headed home to Wales to see his mum and dad – much to Redknapp’s obvious delight and pride. ‘He had a few days off and went abroad – to Cardiff!’ the boss purred when his boy had returned by the end of the week. ‘He could have gone away but he wanted to spend a bit of time with his family.’
Harry obviously admired his player for being so level-headed and grounded and, down in Wales, Gareth’s uncle Chris Pike, spoke of the family’s pride – and joy – at his growing reputation and how he was handling suddenly being thrust into the limelight. Pike, the former Cardiff City player, told the BBC: ‘His parents are very salt of the earth and have brought him up really well and have done everything for him in the sense of giving him time and love. I’m sure he will not change. It’s the cliché that they all do change but I’m sure Gareth won’t.
‘I spoke to him on the Wednesday [after the hat-trick in Milan] and congratulated him on his performance at the San Siro and he was just going out with a couple of friends, very low key. He’s just a smashing lad. I’ve known him for 21 years and I know exactly how grounded he is.
‘He just loves playing football – he’s not motivated by money, he’s not motivated by fame, he’s just motivated by football and he loves it.’
Gareth enjoyed his mum’s home cooking, met up with a few old school pals and talked football with his dad. Then it was time to return to the Lane for the next match – a trip to Old Trafford for a Saturday evening kick-off against United.
The day before the match Redknapp admitted that he was considering giving Gareth an even longer extended rest by leaving him out of the team to face Sir Alex Ferguson’s outfit. By doing so, he was admitting that, at this stage of the season anyway, the Inter return was more important than United away. Which, of course, it was. Lose at United and there was still time to play catch-up in the league…but if Spurs went down to Inter at home, it could put qualifying for the next stage of the Champions League in real jeopardy.
So Harry’s thinking made sense. He explained it in this way: ‘Gareth Bale is fine but we’ve got two big games and I’ll look at it. He’s had a real hard spell of playing game after game and internationals.’
And the boss bristled when it was suggested to him that he might have get used to selecting his team without Gareth – if Spurs accepted a mega bid for him. He said: This is the place for him to be. People say is he for sale – no, he isn’t. The chairman wouldn’t sell him I wouldn’t want to sell him. I think he needs to keep progressing here. He’s had one great year and has made unbelievable strides. This is where he needs to stay and keep improving and take Tottenham to where we want to go.’
It was then pointed out to Harry that Bale would have been just five months old when Spurs last won a League game at Old Trafford in 1989. But he said he wasn’t bothered by that depressing run of 20 matches without a win: He added: ‘I wouldn’t take the blame for what happened in all those other years. It’s a hard place for anyone. How many have gone there and won? They lose one or two there a season at the most. ‘And it’s different players here now. They wouldn’t know about that record or anything else about them. It’s a new experience for some of them, Rafael van der Vaart is looking forward to going there in a Premier League game and it will be a good experience for those players.’
It was hard to see how Harry could not play Gareth at Old Trafford given the injury list of major stars still hindering the club’s season. Huddlestone, King, Corluka, Defoe, Dawson, O’Hara and Woodgate were still missing and Gareth’s pace, cunning and poise could be vital if Spurs were to get anything at the Theatre of Dreams.
Bale did play – but Spurs did not return to North London with anything, save some criticism from some of their fans. They lost 2-0 and it could have been worse – although Redknapp claimed it should have been better. He based that claim around a controversial goal by Luis Nani in the final minutes. Heurelho Gomes rolled the ball out for a free-kick after Nani had clearly handled it – but ref Mark Clattenburg had not called play back and awarded the free kick. The Portuguese winger realised what had happened and mischievously smashed the ball into the net. Nemanja Vidic had put United 1-0 up when he latched on to a free kick from Nani on the half hour – but Redknapp and his men were furious that the Nani goal was allowed to stand.
‘The whole thing was a farce,’ Harry raged. ‘It was handball. Nani put his hand on it and dragged it down. Mark Clattenburg is a top referee but he has had a nightmare with that. In the end Clattenburg will come up with some excuse as to why he didn’t see it – he couldn’t see, he let play go on – well if he did that he should have been saying to Gomes “play on, play on”.
‘I haven’t spoken to the referee, he’s not going to change his decision and he’s made a mess of it all now anyway. They’ll go in and come up with a story that will make it all look right, that’s what happens.’
Even United boss Ferguson conceded that goal was ‘bizarre’. He said: ‘No one knew at the time what was wrong. One minute the goalkeeper had the ball in his hands and next it’s in his net. Nani looked back and looked at the referee and the referee said “play on”, so what can he do but put the ball in the net?
‘You can look at the referee and look at the linesmen and blame them, but the goalkeeper should know better. He’s an experienced goalkeeper. I thought he made a mess of it.’
Some Spurs fans felt that Redknapp was hiding behind the Nani goal as an excuse – because he had messed up tactically. One lifelong supporter told me: ‘It’s Harry’s fault we lost – not Nani’s nor the ref’s. Harry didn’t get his game plan right. We were too defensive; we should have pushed up more on them and got the ball out to Baley so that he could use his pace and get some balls into the box for Keane and Modric to latch on to.
‘It’s all right moaning that the Nani goal cost us but it was 1-0 anyway, and that goal only came in the last few minutes of normal time, so we would have lost anyway. Harry always seems to lose his bottle when we go to places like Old Trafford. We should have attacked them more – and put them under more pressure, like we did in Milan with Inter.’
I can certainly sympathise with the fans who felt let down – but let’s not forget that Redknapp did have to also take into account that looming return match with Inter, and that certain of his men were still showing signs of physical and mental fatigue. All in all, it was surely an acceptable team he put out – and acceptable tactics – if the end result was a win over Inter?
The match in Manchester certainly wasn’t Gareth’s finest moment. Again, he looked drained at times…maybe he was saving himself for the Inter return, or maybe he was working himself slowly back to form. It didn’t help that wily old United boss Ferguson pulled a tactical masterstroke on him.
In the first half Gareth found himself up against the willing legs and pace of Brazilian full back Rafael da Silva. The youngster pushed Gareth’s energy levels to the limit, so that by the second half Baley was almost all puffed out. OK, there was one moment of thrilling skill and excitement as Gareth skipped past three United players and sped towards goal – only to see his shot go just wide of Edwin van der Sar’s far post on the hour.
But Ferguson then completed his master class in tactical awareness by substituting Rafael for the veteran Wes Brown four minutes later.
Brown is no sprinter – but he didn’t need to be. By the time he was introduced in the fray in the 64th minute, Bale looked drained and Brown was able to compete with the wonder boy at a much more leisurely pace; certainly a pace that he preferred. At full steam, Gareth would have taken him to the cleaners; luckily for Brown, the train was still in the sidings this particular evening.
Gareth admitted he was glad to get out of Manchester as he slumped in his seat on the three-hour-plus coach journey back to London. ‘That was a tough match,’ he told a team-mate. ‘I’m glad it’s over and we can concentrate now on the Inter game.’ Yes, he was tired and weary – but as he rested his aching body he instinctively knew that he would be OK for the clash that really mattered: the return against the Italian giants three days later. He would be ready for that – and he would show the world once again that he was the Lane’s latest legend.