Tottenham Hotspur: Getting the Best out of Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale's 2010 was one to remember. After two years cursed with injuries and a horribly lengthy run without a league win, Bale seized on the opportunity presented to him last January by the absence of Benoit Assou-Ekotto.

Such was his attacking impact from the left-back position rather than make way for the return of Assou-Ekotto, Harry Redknapp pushed his young Welshman forward into the left-wing position, enabling him to use his pace to devastating effect in the final third.

Bale's contributions in the latter stages of the 2009/10 Premier League season were followed up this campaign, most notably with two spectacular displays in the Champions League against Inter Milan that alerted the wider football world to this exciting young talent.

The trouble with such recognition is it also inspires the opposition to work that little bit harder to stop you. It is an issue Tottenham need to confront if they want to get the best out of Bale as they prepare for another difficult and potentially successful conclusion to the season.

To begin with, Redknapp and his coaching staff need to think about using a little more imagination in how they utilise their wing weapon. 

Much credit has been awarded (and so it should be) to Everton's nullifying of Bale in both their meetings with Spurs, with the pairing of Phil Neville at right-back and Seamus Coleman ahead of him combining to restrict Bale's space and direct him down blind alleys.

But with the 1-1 draw in October in particular, the Toffees also benefited from a lack of creativity in Tottenham's game-plan. Spurs were too quick to resort to crossing the ball in search of Peter Crouch and his knockdowns for Rafael Van Der Vaart, a near-futile plan at the outset in the face of a sturdy central-defensive presence like Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka.

With all due respect to Everton, the creative talent in Tottenham's attack would have stood a better chance of finding a way through their opposition's defence had they attempted to outplay them on the ground rather than in the air. A few of Bale's brighter moments that day came when he moved inside beyond the reaches of Neville and Coleman, creating a few minor scares for Everton as they rushed to deal with him.

While the matches with Inter in particular displayed Bale's ability to terrorise full-backs (on those occasions a very startled Maicon), there are also several examples of him being deployed in more central positions or at least looking to get between a full-back and his central defender and creating havoc.

Bale's goals versus Chelsea and Arsenal last season, and again against the latter in this campaign, were examples of him using his speed to get at the opposition in more central areas where his fine control and composure allowed him to take advantage.

Advocating Bale being deployed centrally more often does not necessitate a permanent move to a central midfield position (though a role behind the striker might be worth looking at sometime). More that, in the fluency of an attacking move, Spurs could look to move him inside knowing players comfortable on the left like Van Der Vaart or Luka Modric could switch there and also temporarily cover Bale's defensive duties in the event of a counter-attack. It would also, on occasion, allow Assou-Ekotto room to go forward.

It is not a criticism to say Bale will not always be the answer to Tottenham's attacking needs. In their last Premier League outing, an 0-0 draw with West Ham, Bale was alternated with Aaron Lennon on both the left and right where the two wingers came up against stubborn defensive displays by Hammers' full-backs Lars Jacobsen and Wayne Bridge.

As tempting as it may be to persevere with the frightening pace of their wide-men, there will be situations that call for a different approach. Spurs may have fared better in unlocking West Ham by bringing on Niko Kranjcar, a player of great guile and no little long-range shooting ability.

From Real Madrid to Blackpool, Arsenal to Stoke, Tottenham will come up against a variety of styles in their remaining games. In their need to get the best out of Gareth Bale they have something of a metaphor for the challenge ahead. There is no one way to beat teams, Spurs need to get ready to try something a little different.