Former teammate heaps praise on Gareth Bale – originally posted on Sportslens.com
Former Wales international Danny Gabbidon has lauded winger Gareth Bale following his recent run of form.
Bale’s return to Tottenham Hotspur has not been the fairytale that the Lilywhites would have been hoping for, with many people believing that his best days were behind him. Recently, however, the Welshman has been in fine form.
He registered a goal and an assist in the away leg of Spurs’ Europa League round of 32 tie with Wolfsberger, and bagged a fantastic goal in the reverse fixture. He followed this up with braces against Burnley and Crystal Palace in the Premier League, taking his tally to six goals in as many games.
And former Wales teammate Danny Gabbidon believes that the Real Madrid loanee was being held back by injuries, and is now “up and running”.
Speaking on Elis James’ Feast of Football podcast, the former West Ham United defender said (via BBC): “It is good to see him now playing at the levels we know he can.
“Playing injured is the most frustrating thing in the world. People are looking at you thinking ‘he’s not trying’ but it’s your body not letting you do it. As someone who suffered a fair few injuries myself, it does play on your mind. It becomes a self-preservation thing, playing within yourself and I think we’ve seen that with Gareth (Bale).
“It has taken a bit longer than most of us thought it would – he has been there all season – but now he looks up and running, he’s more active, his movement is better.”
Bale is hitting form at the right time for Tottenham. After a run of five league defeats in six, Jose Mourinho’s men have won three Premier League games in a row, pulling them back in contention for a top four place.
Meanwhile, the Europa League knockouts are underway, and the North Londoners are due to face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final. Both competitions give Tottenham a chance of ending their trophy drought, which stretches back to 2008.
Up next for them is a home game against Dynamo Zagreb, before a trip to the Emirates to face bitter rivals Arsenal.