A perfect number 9- Gareth Bale?

[Bails]

We need a number 9 that's quick, tall, can head, can close down with great work rate and can finish

Perhaps is Welsh?

I was thinking yesterday of our best players in midfield and attack. To write my personal 6 would be-
Tom Huddlestone
Luka Modric
Aaron Lennon
Rafael Van der Vart
Gareth Bale
Jermain Defoe

And until Defoe is back (which happily is only a couple of weeks) I would like us to play Bale up front on his own; this is similar to United's treament of Ronaldo by playing him were he can make the most impact on the oppositions goal. By making him play against the last man Bale's trickery and pace would get him one on ones and he is our most likely player other than VDV to score at the moment.

I would play
Huddlestone ______
Lennon VDV Modric
Bale

The _____ player can give us extra strength atm such as Palacios, Sandro, Jenas. I beleive this midfield of freeing up Modric and VDV at the same time would be the best current combination.

If then Bale proves to be a great number 9 then our 6 when defoe can return can switch between the favoured

Huddlestone Modric
Lennon VDV Bale
Defoe

And

Lennon VDV Huddlestone Modric
Defoe Bale

that 4 in midfeild would operate like the days of Modric on the left and would incorporate the end of last seasons style of Huddlestone paired with a more light weight midfield partner

I am not sure what reaction this would get and I do agree Bale's best position so far is LW I am just saying perhaps with 20 mins to go against someone like Bolton we should Bale right up front and see would probelms he would create as he has pace from a running and static start.

Perhaps we already have our number 9? and all we need to do is move the starting 11 around slightly. I believe Bale has the right attributes to do a decent job up front I am just suggesting perhaps we give it a go and see what happens

[Henry is an example of a pacey LW then was switched- he didn't do to bad]

 

[SuperSpurs_Ollie]

So Bale is going from being a left back, to left wing...to up front.

I couldnt see him being that effective personally. His best asset is by far taking on players, then getting the cross in. Whereas i feel is he was playing up front he'd only really get the ball into feet and definatly wouldnt be as effective.

 

[Bails]

Despite not being the best way to look at it; i see it as replacing any of our 3 mis-firing strikers with a Sandro/ Palacios/ Jenas that would see us be more solid and get the ball more to our currently most effective players.

I do agree that is Bale's best asset; but i am replacing bad features of our stikers (no goals) with more good features of other players.

Bale could receive the ball up front go around the full back and cross to VDV, modric etc when the space isn't available forward. When the space does appear who is better at the moment from the centre circle with one man to beat?

 

[jamesc0le]

he would need to play off the striker for a few games before being thrown in the deep end. (and even that would be the fastest of fast-tracks)
bale can play anywhere given time and training, but upfront is the hardest,most physical place

 

[tooey]

nah, hes not a striker. Although Bale is a world class left sided plaer, Ronaldo could play anywhere on the pitch and still amaze. Bales biggest asset is his stamina, pace and delivery...All of which are most useful in the wide area where he has scope to take players on.

Its excellent for us, because teams tend to double up on lennon and with the way bales playeing they will do the same with him, thus leaving plenty of room for VdV and modric to pull some magic from central positions with more space.

Thinking about it....with the exception of barcalona and maybe madrid.....Do we at current have the best midfield in the world?

 

[llamafarmer]

He'd be too high up the pitch to be at his most devastating - knocking the ball past his marker and leaving them for dead. It's not just his pace that is exceptional, it's the long distances over which he can apply it and if he's pushed up front you'd take that away

 

[archiewasking]

I see where you're coming from and don't doubt Bale's finishing makes it worth a thought. But without him providing the service, who would provide it for him. We could obviously do with a clone or two.

 

[tooey]

I see where you're coming from and don't doubt Bale's finishing makes it worth a thought. But without him providing the service, who would provide it for him. We could obviously do with a clone or two.

A team of gareth bales?.....:clap: I like the idea. We should spend our next 5 seasons transfer budget on genetic engineering.

 

[Kendall]

Chelsea swinger aside he hasn't got a good enough right foot.

 

[Bill_Oddie]

nah, hes not a striker. Although Bale is a world class left sided plaer, Ronaldo could play anywhere on the pitch and still amaze. Bales biggest asset is his stamina, pace and delivery...All of which are most useful in the wide area where he has scope to take players on.

Its excellent for us, because teams tend to double up on lennon and with the way bales playeing they will do the same with him, thus leaving plenty of room for VdV and modric to pull some magic from central positions with more space.

Thinking about it....with the exception of barcalona and maybe madrid.....Do we at current have the best midfield in the world?

Bit harsh as he's won MOTM awards playing as a number ten for Wales and can clearly play as a support striker. Number nine is a different matter but it's an interesting thought. However...

Chelsea swinger aside he hasn't got a good enough right foot.

I have to agree with this. But given the work he puts in to the rest of his game it wouldn't surprise me to see his right peg become a decent weapon over the next 4-5 years.

 

[brett.spurs]

I think he could.

 

[guiltyparty]

Left forward in a 433 I could see him. In FIFA I play us like that, with Pav in the middle and Lennon right. So obviously it will work...

 

[NEVILLEB]

I think he could play any position he put his mind to

Let's just get that striker in at Christmas and we won't have to worry

 

[kcmei]

alot of wasted effort chasing down the ball if he plays up front

 

[CosmicHotspur]

He plays best at midfield and on the wing, where he can make those amazing runs and find the space to cross the ball or have a pop at goal himself.

Although someone said earlier in this thread he isn't a striker, while I would go along with this on a technical level, he is more than capable of scoring but centre forward would not be his best position on the pitch.

As an aside, he's also our best corner (perhaps along with VDV) and throw-in taker - his long throw-ins remind me of the distance Dave Mackay's throw-ins covered. Depending on where they are taken from, they can be as effective as a corner.

 

[fazza]

Could be quite handy in Goal too, shall we try that, no lets not, hes more of an influence where he is.

 

[C0YS]

Chelsea swinger aside he hasn't got a good enough right foot.

I have to agree with this. But given the work he puts in to the rest of his game it wouldn't surprise me to see his right peg become a decent weapon over the next 4-5 years.

thats a myth, also why are only left footed players one footed?

He has a good right foot, his shooting from his right peg might need to get better, but he always does well with his right, as long as he doesn't hit the ball first time

 

[CosmicHotspur]

If his right foot was as good as his left, he would be 100% perfect and he's well on the way to that already.

And I agree that the right foot isn't that bad either...

 

[alamo]

He should start in goal. Then all he has to do is boot it ridiculously high, run up the pitch for a cheeky flick on, out pace the defender and then chip it over the keeper.

Simples

 

[stevenurse]

no no no no no no no no no. sorry to seem childish but once again no.