At the start of the season Gareth Bale returned to Tottenham to return to life as well • But the start of the loan spell in London was a direct continuation of the two difficult seasons at Real Madrid • Recently, without any foreshadowing, he exploded with six goals and three assists • Tonight Arsenal awaits him in derby
Gareth Bale.
Forget Real Madrid
Photo:
Reuters
Things are changing at a dizzying pace this crazy year, and for the record - the North London derby.
Only last December did Tottenham host Arsenal for a one-sided game that ended in a 0-2 draw for the Roosters, and today looks like a customer from another season.
Those were the days when Sun cooked for Kane and Kane cooked for Sun, Mourinho's team washed the grass and took over first place in the Premier League table, while that of Mikel Arteta scratched the red line from above.
Tonight, when the two meet again, the situation will be different.
Arsenal managed to stabilize, roughly, the ship, and today it is in tenth place with the face up.
Tottenham, on the other hand, have since gone through several life incarnations.
At first she was a candidate for the championship, then she experienced a decline, later she had a typical Mourinho crisis, and today she is what she was supposed to be in the first place: a team with Sun, Kane and Gareth Bale on offense.
It was not meant to be immediate.
The Welshman has returned to London after a difficult last two years at Real Madrid, and the muscles - even those of desire - were not ready.
"I hope to get back into playing shape, get into things and help the team meet its goals and win titles," Bale said in September, and by February it seemed like a gift for something that would never come.
Every time the 31-year-old Welshman took a step forward, some injury came and took him back two.
In the previous derby, for example, he sat on the bench for 90 minutes and was not a partner at all.
In the derby against West Ham, two months earlier, he came in in the 72nd minute with a 0: 3 advantage and could not prevent the Hammers from returning to 3: 3.
The claims that he is more interested in golf than football did not seem so unfounded, and only last month did Mourinho express frustration with his health and seriousness, after the Welshman was absent from the cup game against Everton due to injury and the next day shared a picture of training where he looked fit and satisfied.
Okay, you can start
all that was written up was in February.
Today, everything is different.
All of a sudden, without anything hinting at it, something ignited in Bale.
It started with two goals and a brace in the pair of encounters against Wolfsberger in the Europa League, continued with a brace and a brace against Burnley in the league, and ended with a brace against Crystal Palace.
Trying to find some turning point leads to a dead end.
According to Tottenham people, the secret is solely time and patience.
"All we have done is support him," the Portuguese coach admitted this week. "We have found psychological scars in him, and these bring with them fear and uncertainty."
Bale alongside Mourinho. The Portuguese manager provides emotional support // Photo: Reuters
No doubt Bale from the start of the season looked like someone suffering from something, but now he finally seems free and free to play the football that has made him one of the best players in the world.
"I feel good," the Welshman admitted, "it took a while, but that's the reality of my body."
Mourinho is careful to keep a close eye on this body, which is why in the middle of the week Bale got a rest against Dynamo Zagreb in the last 16 of the Europa League.
It was another "big" game in which he did not start in the squad, which makes tonight's meeting against Arsenal particularly thought-provoking for him.
Because Bale has done nice things lately, but always in front of inferior rivals.
Derby, despite the position of the Gunners in the table, is still a big game that the Welshman should be in the squad for.
His good play may strengthen his position towards the final straight of the season, which is important for Tottenham, for him and for his unclear future.
Now all that is left is to be healthy.