It has taken seven months for Tottenham's physical trainers to bring Gareth Bale back to his full potential.
The Welshman has such a robust physique and a heavy frame that his coaches always found it difficult to get him ready.
At 31 years old and after a practically inactive season between 2019 and 2020, the difficulty multiplied.
Against Burnley, the player on loan from Madrid confirmed that he is taking off.
He made two goals and gave a third with a long and precise pass to Harry Kane, in the defeat (0-4) of his team to the 15th place in the Premier.
The last time Bale scored two goals and gave an assist was on August 29, 2015, at the Bernabéu against Betis (5-0).
Bale's return to physical fullness, if it has finally happened, will be welcomed by José Mourinho.
The Tottenham coach has seen that in recent months the team hangs up, prey to a general blockage.
Now it is 8th, five points behind 5th, the gateway to European competitions, currently occupied by Chelsea, which drew (0-0) with United at Stamford Bridge and completed a day in which Arsenal beat Leicester (1-3) causing all four of the leader's pursuers to lose points.
Stuck United, Leicester, West Ham and Chelsea, Manchester City's path to their seventh league is clear.
With their victory over West Ham on Saturday (2-1), Guardiola's team added their 20th consecutive victory in all tournaments and are already 12 points ahead of United, second in the table.
TOT
4
-
0
BUR
TottenhamLloris, Aurier (Matt Doherty, min. 80), Davinson Sánchez, Alderweireld, Reguilón, Hojbjerg, Lucas Moura (Dele Alli, min. 65), Tanguy NDombele Alvaro, Heung-Min Son, Bale (Lamela, min. 69) and KaneBurnley Nick Pope, Charlie Taylor, Ben Mee, James Tarkowski, Lowton, Dwight McNeil, Ashley Westwood, Josh Brownhill, Cork (Dale Stephens, min. 80), Jay Rodríguez (Lewis Richardson, min. 87) and Matej Vydra (Wood, min. .72)
Goals1-0 min.
1: Bale.
2-0 min.
14: Kane.
3-0 min.
30: Lucas Moura.
4-0 min.
54: Bale.
Referee Kevin Friend
Graeme Souness says that this is "the strangest season" that he remembers and his is a memory that is projected until the postwar period.
The absence of an audience in the stadiums, the overexploited calendar to meet all the delayed television commitments, generates distortions that are difficult to analyze with the parameters prior to the pandemic.
In this football of unprecedented events, Tottenham has seen how it pays 10 million euros net for the services of a player, Bale, who, between physical problems and football doubts, was left without playing for a minute in 18 of the 30 games he has played. disputed the equipment this course in all the tournaments.
Now, two weeks into spring, the man flourishes with four goals and three assists in the last four games: two Europa League games against Wolfsberger, and two league games, one against West Ham and one against the Burnley whose
highltights
will enlighten him celebrating his feat thanks to two assists from Heung-min Son.
"I'm at the level I wanted to be," he said after the game.
“I am getting closer.
It has taken time but I am happy.
I am improving physically and gaining confidence.
This is what has been seen in the last games.
Bale returns hope to the long-suffering Tottenham fans, who see that access to the Champions League seems like climbing an extra-leaden wall.
It is even more difficult for Arteta's Arsenal, which despite its victory at Leicester is still in 10th place in the standings without its game evolving as fast as the time that runs against it.
This Sunday, Arsenal gave up 1-0 after an error by Xhaka and managed to come back from a side foul very well headed by David Luiz and a penalty taken by Lacazette on the edge of the break.
Tuchel's show
At Stanford Bridge, Tuchel's Chelsea once again completed a match without conceding at the cost of boring fans who did not enjoy anything other than pressure after loss.
If the show has to be
gegenpressing
, then Chelsea are a spectacular team in which Kanté prevented Bruno Fernandes from playing in peace;
Azpilicueta made Rashford mad;
and Mount drowned McTominay into perpetuating a 0-0 that the history books will conjure up as a form of guaranteed reciprocal nullification.
As without fans, footballers are more inclined to obey the coaches because there is no public that pushes them to something else, the result fit perfectly with the current times.
When in doubt, the players use their energy in what seems less onerous: they uncheck less and press more.
