Bale's "New" Positioning?

[Biggs]

For the last 2 months or so, Bale has started drifting off the wing and into the middle alot, It seems like he doesn't even want to play on the wing any more. I personally think this is a big factor in out lack of form recently, we have been to narrow.

With only 1 winger in the team with Lennon Injured, Bale just cannot do that. By doing that i personally think its effecting other players game Like Modric, BAE etc.

I was just watching Sky sports Man Utd v Fulham game and they where going over our game against Chelsea and they showed something which basically confirmed what i have been thinking for a while.

they showed us with the ball in the right back position, Modric in the middle of the Park.

Modric turned around and gestures to Bale " get away from me" / "move out there" Waving his arms and pointing.

When we have been performing so well at the start of the season with our pace and width in attack and you have a winger like Bale in our team. It comes 2nd nature to players like Modric, to get the ball and automatically know where players are. With Bale drifting so much i think it has messed things up.

Lately we are having to force our play more rather than just letting it flow with our counter attacks.

What do you guys think?

[ugs]

Spot on Biggs, I posted something along these lines a little while back basically saying that Bale needs to be out wide where he's at his most effective taking on the fullback. While he's out there alot of teams double up to make sure that they can deal with his threat which means someone else is free to expoit the gap left by the extra cover on Bale, basically Bale out wide pulls opposition defences all over the place. If we have Bale and Lennon (but not quite to such an extent with Lennon) opposition defences can't push up to far because they will be murdered by our pace on the wings which means the midfield gets more space and creates the gap for Van der Vaart and Modric to operate in.
 
I know 'Arry had said that he gave Bale a free role because teams were getting used to him and his pace etc but as far as I could see no one had actually managed to stop him and if they did it left big gaps for the like of Van der Vaart and Modric.
Maybe it's time for 'Arry to put his foot down and tell Bale to stay out wide and put up with the extra attention he gets !!!!
 
 

[RSS61]

I agree 100%. When Lennon dosen't play, Walker dosen't get forward, and when Bale drifts all over the place, neither does BAE get forward, and we lose all our width and pace. It seems that Lennon has had injury problems on and of for the last 2 seasons, and we do not have a like for like replacement, something that should have been addressed once it was obvious that Bentley wasn't ever going to make it. We seem to have a large surplus of central midfielders, but absolutely no wing cover. A couple of young pacy wingers as backup is essential I think.

[loken]

Fully agree. The game against Swansea showed again, that if he plays wide, there is not many defenders who can cope with him. The problem with players like Gareth (with such physycal fitness and eagerness to play) always looking for something more, than keeping position and, in fact, they upset team mates, or even tactics.
Hope Harry can manage with, cause Bale is, imo, the most importent player for us and( I usualy don't like to say that), not replacable at the moment.

[YidJoe24]

Spot on! As a winger Bale is pretty much unbeatable. When lennons not been playing and Bales cut inside the whole teams been narrow. With Lennon back then perharps he can get away with it. But when its just Bale in the side he needs to stick to the left. His crossing is brilliant and Ade has shown how good he can be in the air.

[Ballyer Spur]

Couldn't agree more.  We are less effective with Bale dictating where and how he plays.  I think it underlines 'Arry's flaws as a manager that if it's Bale's idea to become a Welsh nomad and wander all over the park that 'Arry has'nt the srength to tell him where to play.  On the other hand if Redknapp agrees with this as a tactic then he must like most of us see that it is not working and revert to what has put us into the position where not too long ago we were challenging for the title.  Take positive action before it's too late.

[Dr Fox]

This was still a problem against Blackburn, the fans were all yelling at him to get back out wide, there was even a song being sang to remind him that he plays on the left, although I forget the words.


nutter.