Gareth Bale has yet to reproduce anywhere near the form that he showed seven years ago as a Tottenham player or anything like his best Real Madrid form.
There are a variety of reasons why with that is and one of them is not that he is no longer good enough, I refuse to accept that just yet.
Let’s have a quick look at why we have yet to see Bale at his best, even if that best is no longer the Bale of old.
Barely any football in over a year.
This cannot be underestimated, some players can hit the ground running after a long time on the sidelines but most cannot and Bale appears to fall into that category, in better words, he still needs time.
Played out of position
Jose Mourinho has hardly played Bale and when he has it has not always been in his best position, he has been moved all over the place including a stint as a right-back against Leicester City. Bale needs a good run in the team playing in his best position. It is not rocket science.
No pre-season
Yes, the same could be said of most of the team but remember they played last season and most played international games, Bale did not and so his fitness levels were always going to be a lot lower than his teammates.
Injuries
Bale turned up injured, he also picked up a fresh injury with Wales and he has since been “unwell” this all creates chaos with preparation and sharpness and you cannot ignore the debilitating effects that constant injuries can have on a player as they strive to get back fit.
New environment
Forget Bale at Tottenham from seven years ago because this is a whole new set up- for him, it is a completely different Spurs to the one he left for Real Madrid, new stadium, new training facilities (just completed when he left) new management, new teammates and so on. Players need time to adapt to new surroundings, not all of course, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is like a duck to water but Tanguy Ndomeble needed time, different players, different conditions.
Conclusion
When Bale has settled into his new surroundings, is fully fit, played in the right position, given time to develop a partnership with Son Heung-min and Kane and playing regular then we will see the Gareth Bale that we have all been desperate to see since his return.
If we do not then so be it, time to call it a day but right now, it is far too early to write the Welsh wizard off.