Gareth Bale is still yet to cement a place in the Tottenham starting XI, and because the team is doing just fine without him, it is hard to question the decisions of Jose Mourinho at the moment.
The Welshman was handed the chance to start Tottenham’s game against Royal Antwerp last night.
The Lilywhites struggled to break down the stubborn Belgians, but they eventually got the breakthrough goal when Bale’s freekick was headed in by Carlos Vinicius.
Just a minute after he provided an assist for the goal, the attacker was replaced by Son Heung-min.
Mourinho has shown that he can make changes just about any time he wants, but Jermaine Jenas doesn’t think that Bale will be happy to have been taken off after making an assist.
Glenn Hoddle, however, appears to be critical of Bale and said that the attacker should be doing more than he is doing at the moment.
‘If I’m Gareth Bale, I’m disappointed I’m coming off in this game,’ Jenas said via Mail Online.
‘Especially after just hitting that free-kick, I’m sure the confidence has gone through the roof there. I think Jose probably watched the first 10 minutes [of the second half] and thought “I’ve seen enough” and the free-kick didn’t change his mind.’
Hoddle had a different take on the situation.
‘By now, I would expect him to be ahead of where he is, he looks fragile and tentative when he goes in and when it is tight,’ Hoddle said.
‘He still seems unsure of his body, he hasn’t quite got that change of pace. It is getting there but whether he gets it back again is the big question mark, and that was the big risk bringing Gareth back to Tottenham.
‘But I feel there is more to come, which will elevate Tottenham’s performance as well but it just feels like he is on the back foot.’