This may seem a pointless question to ask on the face of it. A lot of fans would argue that surely all the support Bale can get will help him flourish.
Gareth Bale is a different kettle of fish. You can’t help but think that the loss of Luka Modric has helped the Welshmen hasten his development into what those at White Hart Lane had hoped it could be.
It is clear he is a crucial attacking influence and the industrious Holtby appears to be a perfect foil for Bale to forage down the wings and slice through the middle of teams as he has been recently.
The success of Tottenham has been based around playing with one striker whether that be Defoe, Dempsey or Adebayor.
Sandro was doing the dirty jobs exceptionally well before his injury and Parker still has a little way to go before he reaches last season’s level and that will be essential. Dembele too is a settling influence in the midfield and this will be important for the rest of this campaign.
There is a reason why Sigurdsson hasn’t got a look in, and this is because AVB has realised that Spurs could nullify Bale’s threat if they try to overkill things up front.
It is not a problem making Gareth Bale the fulcrum of the team, Barcelona do it with Messi, Real Madrid with Ronaldo, so why not Tottenham Hotspur with Bale?
If the support cast are aware who the main character in the play is for them and read their lines on cue and not try and steal the Welshmen’s limelight, things could be very bright for the Lilywhites this season.
Grant Miles