English Premier League - Part 2: Winners of the second weekend
Last weekend a home draw against Manchester City was seen as a triumph. This weekend after a midweek UEFA Champions League play-off match against Young Boys, Tottenham bounced back to get their first three league points of the season. Hopefully for the Spurs faithful, they will be first of the many points earned this season.
Tottenham under Redknapp have come a long way. Their eternal quest to earn a top four place in the English League table was achieved in the 2009-2010 season as they piped Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester City to gain a fourth placed finish. One thing that should not be forgotten is that Tottenham went to the Britannia stadium with a very weak squad. A lot of Spurs’s players were injured for the tie and it was thought that Stoke City’s physical approach to the game might get them a point and if things go well, the potters looked favourites to gain all three points.
Before the season started, Harry expressed his belief that Tottenham can challenge for the league. Well, top teams, teams who are contending for the league title pull off such shabby wins when they are not at their highest level of form. This is exactly what Tottenham did, without a fully fit Modric Spurs successfully kept Stoke at bay with some help from the referee, Chris Foy as Stoke were not awarded a completely legitimate goal. For all football’s sake, it must be hoped that Sepp Blatter was watching the match, not that the FIFA president would be bright enough to take the hint.
Nonetheless, even before the seasons started, Tottenham were started to get some stick from the English media for their squad to be too weak to participate in four competitions at a time i.e. F.A Cup, Carling Cup, UEFA Champions League and the English Premier League. Through their win against Stoke, Tottenham have proved one thing that they are right up there with the big boys and as far as they are concerned, every possible effort will be made to stay in that illustrious company.
A footballer which emerged out of the Stoke City versus Tottenham Hotspurs game with an incredible surge in reputation is Gareth Bale. His goal against Stoke from a direct left foot volley required not only an amazing technique but an exceptional level of confidence too. No other player in the league bar wingers at one or two of the top teams would have had the nerve to attempt such a feat. Bale has been a relatively late bloomer at Tottenham but his age implies that he took his time well and now is reaping the benefits of it.
The future of Welsh football, Bale has been compared to the likes of Ryan Giggs, something that must not only be a great tribute to the young left sided winger but also to Tottenham for keeping their trust in him amidst his terrible form earlier on in his career in London. Gareth Bale’s move in the summer of 2007 from Southampton to Tottenham has proved to be career changing for him.
This is not always the case for young players as sometimes after moving to a big club from a smaller one, they fail to perform due to the immense difference in quality of the opposition teams. Bale was originally signed by Tottenham as a left back but his lack of experience as a defender and skilful attributes in attack have propelled Harry Redknapp to use him as a left midfielder.
Gareth Bale has proved through his performances already that he is one of the best left wingers in the league right now. At this rate, he will be a contender for the PFA Player of the year award.
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