Redknapp praises Bale
Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has praised Gareth Bale after the winger's brilliant start to the Premier League season.
Bale looks to have the most complete game of any winger in the country at the moment. He scored twice in the win over Stoke City at the weekend and looks as though he can create a whole host of chances in any game.
Bale joined Spurs at the age of 17 and took his time to settle down at the club. However, now he is a little bit older and a little more experienced, he is having the impact that Redknapp always knew he would have.
There are many positive elements to Bale's game at this moment in time that have made him the most attacking player in the Spurs team. However, he is now only 21 and needs to maintain the good start if he wants to have a great season.
Bale's game right now
Bale's game right now is better than it has ever been. He has the ability to run at a defence with real venom and pace before playing in brilliant crosses for other attacking players to score from.
His crossing is something that has troubled him in the past. He now gets into more positions to cross than ever before and his final ball into the box seems to be getting better with each match.
He has more of a goal threat than ever before. His second goal against stoke at the weekend was a superb volley, which proves he has the technique to cleanly strike the ball when he is under pressure and being closed down from all angles by opposition defenders.
Redknapp said: "Bale has grown up. When I first came to Spurs, Bale was still a baby, he always seemed to be limping off the training ground every time he got touched. He realised he had to be tougher if he was going to make it in the Premier League and he has done that. Have I had to talk to Bale about mental toughness? A bit, yeah. I just said, 'Stop messing about with your barnet'."
The time for consistency
It is the right time for Bale to show that he can been consistent. He had a tremendous back end of last season and has started this season very well. If he wants to maintain the momentum he has created then he has to be consistent across a high volume of games.
However, this will be very tough because teams will now directly focus on him as a threat. They will find ways to stop the Welshman from having an impact on games and it will eventually be down to Bale to re-invent himself.
Redknapp added: "I said, 'C'mon Gareth, stop messing about with your hair'. He was always at it. I can't think of a better left-sided player than Bale. That left foot of his is amazing, he can run all day, he can head it, he's 6ft 2in. He has got everything. You couldn't even put a value on him now. Almost any club would want him."
Betting advice
Bale does not play up front as a striker and this means he will not score as many goals as a player in this position. However, he is still a big threat and can score a lot of goals for Spurs this year.
Take a punt on him to be top scorer at Spurs by the end of the season. However, keep in mind that if this is the case then the strikers at the club would have had a very quiet time and the team may not have cashed in on all of the potential they have.
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