Don Hutchison has told the Premier League Review, which was broadcast on Optus Sport, that he noticed that Gareth Bale wasn’t actually sprinting much during Tottenham Hotspur’s last game against Crystal Palace.
Bale earned widespread praise for his performance against Palace, has he netted a brace in Tottenham’s comfortable victory.
Bale now has six goals in his last six games, but he is no longer the explosive winger that he once was in his youth.
Bale, instead, plays with more intelligence – and his movement caught the eye of Hutchsion, who was on commentary duty.
He said that when in the ground it was clear to see that Bale was very rarely getting up to full speed, but he was instead looking to get into positions quickly and working intelligently.
“Something interesting happened, when I watched him live from the commentary position I was in, if you look at Bale, he wasn’t sprinting,” he said.
“I think he still has that element of fear, if he opens up too much, he might risk injury, but he’s adapting really well. He’s getting into good positions.”
Bale’s brilliant form has started to look hugely exciting for Tottenham fans, who feel that the Welshman could be key over the remainder of the season.
The 31-year-old made a slow start, but really seems to be clicking into gear now.
And with Bale and Harry Kane at the top of their games, Tottenham have now been able to be victorious in their last three league matches on the spin.
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