Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has told Football.London that he won’t simply give minutes to Gareth Bale to get him firing.
Spurs are back in action tonight as they host Chelsea in the Premier League, with Mourinho needing a result.
Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion was a major disappointment, and Mourinho must show that his side can bounce back.
One of the major talking points from the Brighton defeat was the performance of Gareth Bale, who was basically anonymous.
The 31-year-old played just 61 minutes, and registered just one key pass, one tackle, one accurate cross and one aerial won in a dismal display.
Bale has yet to impress since returning to Spurs back in September, registering just one goal and no assists in the Premier League.
His hero’s return to Spurs hasn’t gone to plan, and some have called for Mourinho to give him more regular minutes in order to get firing.
Mourinho has now claimed that he ‘cannot do it’, claiming that the Premier League is too intense to try something like that – and defended Bale’s poor display against the Seagulls.
“I cannot do it,” said Mourinho. “High level football is very difficult to do it, especially in a competition like the Premier League where the level is so, so high that it’s very, very difficult to do it.”
“However, I just want to say in relation to your question that in my opinion it was the team that didn’t have a good performance [at Brighton], it was not Gareth individually,” he added.
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