You’d have to be not human to walk off that pitch after beating the European champions 3-1 and not be on a high. To not let it go to your head just a little bit. To think you couldn’t now beat whoever was put in front of you in the Premier League.
Just as after the 4-3 defeat at the San Siro which, when you look at it after the stunning hat-trick by Gareth seemed almost like a victory, Harry Redknapp would have his work cut out keeping his men grounded as four league games now came thick and fast before Spurs once again launched into their dizzying European adventure.
The fourth match in the line would be no problem – what motivation did Gareth and the boys need with the prospect of playing their bitterest rivals, Arsenal?
But the three before that could be tricky if the team were not playing at full blast – Bolton away, then Sunderland and Blackburn at home.
It hadn’t escaped Redknapp’s notice that Spurs had struggled after playing in Milan. Indeed, as we have noted, they huffed and puffed to a 1-1 home draw with Everton and then lost 2-0 at Manchester United. Harry was worried that this anti-climax, and run of poor results, might be a regular occurrence if their European run of glory continued.
Of course, he wasn’t the first boss to realise that European competition could leave your team fatigued both mentally and physically. Sir Alex Ferguson has complained about the same situation over the years – even in 2010 when United had also played in Milan. On February 16 2010, United won 3-2 in the San Siro against AC Milan (who share the stadium with Inter). Yet four days later, after the high of beating one of Europe’s crack outfits in their own backyard, United crashed 3-1 at Everton in the Premier League.
That was the result that had Sir Alex bemoaning the fragile state of his boys after their European adventure. He said at the time: ‘We left something in Milan and there was tiredness in the team. We played like garbage and got deservedly beat.’
But he added that he expected the problem to have resolved itself for the following game, a few days later, when United hosted West Ham, and they would have had time to readjust to domestic football and would have left their fatigue behind them. But he added: ‘It is difficult to think that when you go through all the emotions and the pace and intensity and atmosphere of a game like the Milan one, you don’t lose something.’
Harry Redknapp could certainly identify with those words of his close friend. It was now his job to make sure his men didn’t mess up in the league; after all, they didn’t want to miss out on the Champions League the following campaign after getting a real taste for the competition. And they would do – unless they finished in the Premier League’s top four, or won the competition outright in their first campaign.
Gareth was confident he and his team-mates would be up to doing the business in the Prem. He saw no reason why there should be a blip. ‘He is such a professional and can cope with massive wins or massive defeats in much the same way,’ said a Spurs source. ‘He’s not one for getting carried away or getting depressed. He is such a level-headed individual. Nothing much fazes him; he is a great guy, really well liked by his team-mates and someone who is very much a team player – despite his undeniable individual skills. Truly an inspired and inspiring guy, and footballer.’
Certainly, Gareth had inspired many people by his tremendous showings against Inter Milan. One of them was Sam Warburton, his former school mate, who now told the world that he wanted to be ‘the Gareth Bale of Welsh rugby’. A few days after Gareth’s second demolition of Inter, Warburton said he hoped to emulate those heroics when he played for Wales against the mighty Australians in an autumn rugby union Test.
‘I don’t think I’ll score a hat-trick of tries against the Wallabies, but a little bit of his inspiration would help,’ said Warburton after Wales head coach Warren Gatland announced his surprise decision to give the Cardiff Blues flanker his eighth cap ahead of Wales’ most capped forward Martyn Williams.
Warburton, 22, had been a school pal of Gareth at Whitchurch High School in Cardiff a few years earlier. As a Spurs fan, he was even more delighted at Gareth’s world-stage success against Inter. He said: ‘It is unbelievable. I always knew he was a good footballer when I played with him at school, no one ever touched him – he was head and shoulders above everyone else and it was obvious he was going to make it.
‘He was always good at the sprints and long-distance running so he had all the attributes to get to the top. It gives me great confidence to see him doing well, another Whitchurch boy on the world scene taking them all on.’
After the glitter and glitz of the 3-1 win over Inter, Bolton Wanderers were first up for Baley and Co. Traditionally a resolute, dour, battling team under the inspiration of Sam Allardyce, they had taken on something of a new life under the more refined tutelage of former Burnley boss, Owen Coyle. The Scotsman enjoys his football being played on the ground rather than in the air, but even he admitted he feared for his team’s fortunes against Gareth.
He said he planned to pit tough full-back Gretar Steinsson against Bale. The Icelandic ace was the sort who took no prisoners – but Coyle was honest to admit he didn’t know if that would be enough in the battle to keep Gareth at bay. Coyle said: ‘How do you stop Bale? With difficulty. But it is the same every week in this league. If it is not Gareth Bale, it is Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres, Wayne Rooney or Dimitar Berbatov. You have to give credit as well to Harry Redknapp for pushing him on from full-back.’
Coyle’s decision to keep Steinsson close on Gareth looked an inspired one as Spurs struggled for fluency and energy at the Reebok on Saturday November 6, 2010. He shackled the wonder boy, who, to be honest, did look a little tired out after his latest exploits against the Milanese, and Tottenham began the long journey home to London with the bitter taste of a 4-2 defeat in their mouths.
Gareth admitted on that journey that he felt ‘a bit whacked out’ after what had been a tough week, and said he was looking forward to putting his feet up for a few hours.
Meanwhile, the man who had made his afternoon in the north-west so difficult admitted that he had been spurred on by Gareth’s exploits against Inter. Steinsson told the press, ‘I did watch the match – and knew I could be in for a tough old afternoon.’ But instead of dreading the examination against the Welsh wonder boy, the Icelandic defender decided to use it as an opportunity to show his own worth – especially as a number of friends had texted him, urging him to put Gareth in his place. Steinsson said: ‘I have never received so many texts before a game, telling me to rest up. I have played against Gareth before and he is a fantastic player and he has got a bright future in front of him.
‘But I tried not to analyse it too much because, if you do that, then it just gets in your head. I just had a really good chicken korma and relaxed on the eve of the game. That helped me.’
Let’s be honest, here…he was also aided by Chung-Yong Lee, who doubled back from midfield to help turn the screw on Bale. In fact, the Bolton ploy was to smother Gareth whenever he got the ball – with any of their players going for him if he was near them.
Bolton’s big central defender Zat Knight admitted as much when he said that he too had watched – and been stunned – by Bale’s showing against Inter. Knight said: ‘I watched both games against Inter and it was scary. They showed he is a world-class player. But against us it’s obviously going to be a different game, we’ll be a bit more physical. I think there is a lot of pressure on his shoulders, saying he’s the best player in the world and better than Lionel Messi after a few games.
‘Potentially, he can reach that but I just hope people don’t pile too much on him and let him gradually build and get better.
‘Gretar [Steinsson] knows what he has to do against Bale. He’s dealt with some quality players down the years. But we’ll all chip in when necessary.’
Gareth’s best moment in the match came when he launched a brilliant free-kick which beat Jussi Jaaskelainen only to hit the bar. But it was not to be – the truth of it was that he and his team-mates were too knackered after the Inter clash. This was simply a game too many.
But they kept coming: three days after the defeat at Bolton, Sunderland were heading to White Hart Lane for a Premier League encounter. The Black Cats arrived after a painful 5-1 thrashing at their biggest rivals Newcastle – and were determined to get back on track. It meant they battled hard, and came away with a 1-1 draw. The cobwebs of the Inter match had still not been fully blown away for Gareth and Co, even though they had enough chances to win the match. A top-notch performance by keeper Craig Gordon and some bizarre decisions by referee Howard Webb played a significant part as Steve Bruce’s men clung on for a point as a goal from Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan cancelled out Van der Vaart’s opener.
Gareth had played a part in the Dutchman’s goal, sending in a long cross that Crouch nodded down for Van der Vaart to convert. But once again he found it tough going as Sunderland – and especially the aggressive Lee Cattermole - clamped down on him immediately if he got wind of the ball, and also stationed the resolute, and classy, defender Nedum Onouha on his heels for the 90 minutes.
The Daily Telegraph’s John Ley appeared to believe that Bale had been ‘found out’. He wrote: ‘Where Maicon failed, Nedum Onuoha succeeded, negating the threat of Bale just as Phil Neville and Gretar Steinsson had frustrated the winger for Everton and Bolton respectively.
‘Bale did not play badly, the undoubted talents and trickery still on show, even if there was also the odd misplaced pass. But English clubs are learning how to cope with the player. Bale’s rise to stardom was confirmed with his stunning hattrick in the San Siro and a match-winning display in the return leg. Suddenly, the quietly-spoken 21-year-old was the man of the moment.
‘Neville was the first to show how to play Bale, sitting back when necessary but pushing him inside when possible. Even Harry Redknapp, the Spurs manager, admitted that Neville handled him expertly. Steinsson followed suit in last Saturday’s 4-2 win, albeit over a team still recovering from their European exertions and, on Tuesday night, Onuoha sat off Bale. Lee Cattermole was always in attendance – not always legally – and the visitors negated the flow of balls to his feet.’
And Karl Sears, writing on footballfancast.com, also felt teams had worked out how to thwart Gareth. At the same time, he suggested one answer would be for Harry Redknapp to make Gareth a left-back again: ‘Tuesday night’s game against Sunderland served only to reinforce this theory – Premier League teams have realised that Gareth Bale struggles to make an impact if he is marked tightly and not allowed room to build up speed. Much like Everton’s Phil Neville and Bolton’s Gretar Steinsson, Sunderland’s Nedum Onouha was able to mark the young Welshman out of the game for long periods, with Michael Turner helping out whenever required. As long as Bale keeps the left midfield role he will continue to be tightly marked or double teamed, meaning that one of Tottenham’s best assets is going to waste. At the business end of last season Bale was still relatively unknown and was left alone to terrorise defences, but a lot has happened since April and now Bale is fixed firmly on the radar of every team in England.
‘It is arguable that Bale’s attacking threat would increase if he were to move back into defence. You can’t double team a defender and it would be more difficult for opposition to pick up and track Bale’s runs if he were coming from left-back.’
Some teams had done the inevitable and put two men on Gareth to stultify him and, yes, it had worked to an extent. But Gareth was still suffering from the inevitable mental and physical burnout from the Inter games. He would recover and resume his brilliant form, however many men teams put on him.
And, let’s not forget, even by taking an extra man out of the game, he was already causing problems for the opposition – as it meant other Spurs players could now move into the space the defender, or midfielder, told to police Gareth had consequently abdicated.
Finally, eleven days after the 3-1 triumph over Inter Milan, Gareth and Tottenham returned to winning ways, having taken only one point from six against Bolton and Sunderland. The much-needed victory came as they beat Blackburn 4-2 at the Lane – it was the timeliest of tonics, setting them up for the grudge match against Arsenal the following week, and the vital Champions League meeting with Werder Bremen four days after that.
Gareth had certainly seemed much more relaxed in the build-up to the Blackburn match. He even spoke a little more about his personal life – revealing that he was ‘not much into big nights out’ and that he preferred staying and watching TV talent show The X Factor on Saturday and Sunday nights. Gareth also admitted he was hopeful that a Spurs fan, Matt Cardle, would win the show (he did!)
Cardle even trained with Gareth and the lads as they finalised their preparations for the game against Blackburn – making his way to the club’s training ground in Chigwell. But by Friday, the fun was over as the team set off for the north-west.
Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce was in no doubt about the damage Bale could cause his team. Big Sam took the debate about Gareth’s potential up to its highest notch yet – by declaring that he was already the best player on the planet. Allardyce said: ‘With pace you have to have the ability and have a football brain. There’s not a better player in the world than Gareth Bale at the moment for me. He’s producing, and his delivery is fantastic. He has the potential to be a great player not a very good one. That final ball gives him the potential to be a great player, not just very good.’
Allardyce had been generous in his praise – and, unfortunately for him, Gareth proved him to be spot on as the Rovers match kicked off.
It was clear from the start that both Gareth and his team-mates had put their post-European blues behind them as they swamped Rovers from the very start. It was 2-0 at half-time and 4-0 within 75 minutes. Bale was back to his normal self, tormenting Rovers full-back Michel Salgado and grabbing two of the four goals, the opener on 16 minutes and the fourth on 75.
Gareth’s first goal was a brilliant header after he was set up by Van der Vaart from a corner, his second was a finely placed shot from 15 yards. In between Pavlyuchenko and Crouchy killed off the visitors.
The only downside to an otherwise impressive performance came when Spurs eased off after going 4-0 up, allowing Ryan Nelsen and Gael Givet to score.
After the match, Sam Allardyce wore a wry smile as he was asked what he thought of Bale now – given that he had praised him to the heavens before the match. Big Sam said: ‘Bale is almost unstoppable at the moment. He’s an outstanding player, and punished us severely. We looked to double up on him, but good players are difficult to stop whether you double up on them or not.’
Gareth was named the man of the match and afterwards admitted his form had maybe dipped a little as he came to terms with the superstardom thrust upon him by the media and the fans after his double destruction of Inter Milan. He had also found he had to adapt to having two men on him all the time instead of one – at a time when he was more than a little mentally and physically drained.
Gareth, whose two goals against Rovers now made him joint top scorer at the club with Pavyluchenko, admitted: ‘It has been difficult for me recently when teams have had two players marking me. In a way I’ve got to try to find another way to get past them. I did that against Blackburn and I was delighted.’
Tottenham assistant coach Joe Jordan, standing in for the under-the-weather Redknapp for the Rovers game, was just as delighted with Gareth’s reinvigorated showing, pointing out that he had also made the second goal for Pavyluchenko.
Jordan said: ‘Some of the football we played in the first half, the openings and opportunities Gareth created, were terrific, especially against a team who did well against Newcastle in midweek. I thought we played exceptionally well and should have been further ahead in the first half.
‘Harry is a very positive guy. He wants to play on the front foot. We picked the team to win the game.
‘We are disappointed we conceded two goals. But if you do drop your concentration level that is what will happen. At 4-0 up I thought we failed to pick up the second balls. I don’t think it should take anything away from the result and the football we played. The way we played the game was fantastic. We played some great football.’
Peter Crouch was also in a much better frame of mind – after scoring his first league goal since he got the winner at Manchester City on May 5…the win that propelled Spurs into the Champions League.
Crouch said: ‘I have scored six goals this season and I have been part of another five maybe – that is 11 goals. Everyone loves scoring, don’t get me wrong, and I am no different. When you are a striker you get judged on that. I have been scoring in the Champions League and my last goal was against Inter Milan – which was only a couple of games ago.
‘So, yes, I feel confident that I will score goals and it was pleasing to get one against Blackburn. I have been pleased with my performances and the manager would not play me if he did not think I was having an impact. We are looking forward to the game at Arsenal. We are not there yet, but we are certainly a lot closer to them than we have been for a long time.
‘They are a top-quality side with a lot of young players. We changed our side around in the Carling Cup when Arsenal won 4-1 but they were fantastic. We know that they are a great side but I believe that on our day we can beat anyone. If you really want to have a proper impact on the league you have to go to places like Arsenal and pick up points. We have a lot of talent to do that.’
It was the first real public mention of the imminent clash with the Gunners – Redknapp had forbade talk of it until they had got the likes of Blackburn out of the way. Quite rightly, he had felt it could take the focus off the matches his team had to play before heading for the Emirates. But now Blackburn had been beaten and Crouchy had let the genie out of the bottle.
And it was some genie!
OK, the win over Inter Milan and the gallant fightback, courtesy of Gareth in the San Siro, had been two momentous occasions, but many Spurs fans would have taken beating Arsenal any day. Such was the level of animosity and rivalry between the two north London giants of top-class football.
The win over Blackburn was their first win in five league games and had put Tottenham within three points of fourth-placed Manchester City, and that vital Champions League spot. A win over Arsenal at their Emirates home – and yet more pressure on City – would put the gloss on a month that had already been unforgettable for the young man from Wales who was rapidly finding the world was at his feet.