What to do with Bale?

[DC_Boy]

Im going to be different ad say play him LB and LM both, at the same time! Hear me out... Judging by his performances its clear hes full of energy, pace and does both attacking as well as defending. Hence consider the following formation:

Gomes​

Hutton ... Woody .... King ..............​

.................... Zokora ............. Bale​

Bentley ........ Jenas ...... Modric .............. ​

Pavlyu ..... Bent​

This is essentially a 4-4-2 (4-1-3-2)? formation with Bale at LB, with a midfield of Bentley Jenas Zokora and Modric, i.e. Modric on the Left. Now initially i was completely against Modric playing on the left as i feel he loses his main threat there and hes most effective playing down the centre in a very forward role. However when we're going forward and attacking, with Bale just behind him Modric can drift inside and play a more central role with Bale moving from LB to LM and providing the width. Zokora can then cover the space that is left behind Bale and close any gaps left by the movement.​

yep 2S that's pretty much what i've been saying too - except I've had Mr X rather than zoko- but zoko is very likely to be mr X

glad to see you're coming round to modric on the left - a few others are too I think

although I can also see the attractions of JJ on the left

it's all very much up in the air of course because injuries, tiredness, suspension, different oppo and tactics etc mean teams change from game to game - and JR loves a tinker too

for me the basic key is 3 proper mids

looking forward to Villa and see what JR comes up with

 

[Bill_Oddie]

I think the simple matter is that Bale WILL win us games if we play him in a more advanced role. Therefore that's exactly what we have to do.

And it seems Ramos might agree. Even if we do have other good attacking players on offer.

 

[DC_Boy]

I think the simple matter is that Bale WILL win us games if we play him in a more advanced role. Therefore that's exactly what we have to do.

quote]

It's a very good point bill -but then it comes back to what I was saying over the summer we need another LB - I was told by sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
many on here - oh no we don't - well sorry if we're playing Bale LM - oh yes we do - cos I (and others) don't rate Gilberto or BAE -

of course maybe they'll improve - maybe they won't- maybe someone like Gunter or Corluka could fill the gap - maybe they can't

if we play BAE, who is the most obvious choice, it just seems such a risk

oh well - let's see what Monday brings

 

[mil1lion]

I expect it to change throughout the season. He's another versatile player and will give Ramos some great options. His main position should be left back though. He'll be our Dani Alves from that position. But if he plays left midfield then i would rather see Gunter at left back ahead of Ekotto and Gilberto. Despite the lack of experience on that side, they would be the best combination imo. But ultimately i like the team that played Chelsea. Giovani on the left of a 5 man midfield, and Bale at left back. Plus Bale has height at the back post, which has proven to be a weak area from defending crosses. Hutton and Corluka are also tall fullbacks and i think that will give us a much better defence on dealing with crosses.

 

[king26]

i would play gilberto in front of bale so they can mix it up abit

 

[mil1lion]

Ive been saying it since bale joined and had his first few good games.

Much like berbatov, man utd "were interested", but seemingly put off by paying a large fee on someone un-tested in the best league.

They have let us buy him and have clearly seen he is top quality, great left peg, and an uncanny ability reminscent to that of giggs to dribble in/out and between defenders.

Man Utd will be after him sooner or later, I just hope this time spurs do all they can to hold onto such a talented and great player. World class - no doubt.

I think these concerns over Man Utd buying our best players should stop. We fought Utd to the death over Berbatov and we wont be selling to them anytime soon. Gareth Bale signed a new contract in the summer and we should all relax and enjoy one of the brightest young players in Britain develop into a potential World Class player. Besides, we've got so many top quality players now that, we're always going to keep several of them regardless of how many Clubs come calling. I just hope we keep signing the best young players in Europe. John Bostock is another great young talent and i really hope we can sign Giovani's younger brother, Jonathan Dos Santos aswell.

Its all going to come down to success. But seeing as we have plenty of players in a similar age group, hopefully they will all be in the same boat. Neither in a rush to leave and if we can succeed with them, maybe all will stay with us.

 

[mitch8the8spur]

LB firstly i think then obviously LM with a defensive minded player (gunter) at LB
It would be very interesting watching him play in any other position,and i wouldnt be totally against it to be honest because i feel he is a class player threw and threw.
will be interesting to see how ramos plays him through the season. But if it was upto me it would be LB over lapping then if we have noone in form for LM play him there.

 

[alextheyid]

yeah. i mean he goes forward whatever so it whether a good defender is behind him or he tracks back?

 

[MattyP]

What to do with Bale?

Take him to supercuts to get his fucking hair cut.

 

[Hoowl]

The fact we seemingly want Bale to play at LB and LM (and no.10 if you're BO) is a great tribute to our Welsh wonder. Unfortunately, I would say that at the moment his position in the team is more determined by deficiencies of the other players in those positions and this illustraits that we're still weak down the left hand side.

At left back we have the option of Bale, Gilberto or BAE. Of those three Bale wins every time. I wouldn't feel particularly confident with the other two in defence. I would be far happier with Lee but that ship has sailed. On the face of it, in left midfield we have Bale, Gilberto or Dos Santos. Again i'm not really happy about Gilberto being in the team. He hasn't done anything to impress me yet. Although I rate Dos Santos i see him as more a no. 10 than a left winger and I don't think he offers much cover defensively on the left. Obviously he offers a threat going forward but he potentially leaves the left back very exposed (especially if we're not playing a defensively mided midfielder). So Bale wins again.

As Bale can't actually play at LB and LM simultaneously we have to comprimise somewhere and I would probably put Bale in defence. If we're going for a 5 in midfield then GDS could play LM and if we ensure that whoever is the most defensively minded midfielder offers cover to our left back (and right back) when needed. I think this is a good option with the players we have. Another possible solution is to put a more central midfielder, for example Jenas, on the left. This is what Jol did with Davids and Tainio. Although this makes us a more solid unit, the downside is that (appart from playing a CM out of position) if the LM gets pulled into the middle of the park then the left back could be forced to do everything on that side of the park, as Lee frequently had to. Obviously if we're playing a 5 in midfield then, again, the defensively minded midfielder could offer cover.

In the long term I see Bale as an attack minded left back. I will be interested to see how Ramos deploys him once everyone is settled. Personally, I would like to see a left sided midfielder come in in January.

[edit] I'd completely forgotten about O'Hara. I'd actually be tempted to play O'Hara on the left in front of Bale. That would offer plenty of defensive cover down that side. They could even swap positions during a match.

 

[Teemu]

What to do with Bale?

Take him to supercuts to get his fucking hair cut.

NO! His hair's cool.

 

[Kendall]

His quality comes from his hair

 

[van_Pommel]

The fact we seemingly want Bale to play at LB and LM (and no.10 if you're BO) is a great tribute to our Welsh wonder. Unfortunately, I would say that at the moment his position in the team is more determined by deficiencies of the other players in those positions and this illustraits that we're still weak down the left hand side.

At left back we have the option of Bale, Gilberto or BAE. Of those three Bale wins every time. I wouldn't feel particularly confident with the other two in defence. I would be far happier with Lee but that ship has sailed. On the face of it, in left midfield we have Bale, Gilberto or Dos Santos. Again i'm not really happy about Gilberto being in the team. He hasn't done anything to impress me yet. Although I rate Dos Santos i see him as more a no. 10 than a left winger and I don't think he offers much cover defensively on the left. Obviously he offers a threat going forward but he potentially leaves the left back very exposed (especially if we're not playing a defensively mided midfielder). So Bale wins again.

As Bale can't actually play at LB and LM simultaneously we have to comprimise somewhere and I would probably put Bale in defence. If we're going for a 5 in midfield then GDS could play LM and if we ensure that whoever is the most defensively minded midfielder offers cover to our left back (and right back) when needed. I think this is a good option with the players we have. Another possible solution is to put a more central midfielder, for example Jenas, on the left. This is what Jol did with Davids and Tainio. Although this makes us a more solid unit, the downside is that (appart from playing a CM out of position) if the LM gets pulled into the middle of the park then the left back could be forced to do everything on that side of the park, as Lee frequently had to. Obviously if we're playing a 5 in midfield then, again, the defensively minded midfielder could offer cover.

In the long term I see Bale as an attack minded left back. I will be interested to see how Ramos deploys him once everyone is settled. Personally, I would like to see a left sided midfielder come in in January.

[edit] I'd completely forgotten about O'Hara. I'd actually be tempted to play O'Hara on the left in front of Bale. That would offer plenty of defensive cover down that side. They could even swap positions during a match.

I'd put Modric on the left, I think this is the only way to include all our best players on the pitch at one time. Then we could pick the central 2 from any of JJ, Huddlestone, Zokora or O'Hara, and up front we have Pav, Bent, Gio and Frazier.

 

[gibbs131]

Man U have Nani as Giggs;s replacement.

Hahaha! Good! I hope their other replacements are that average. Top 4 next year for sure!

 

[JollyHappy]

Will repeat my earlier comment. He was totally out of place when he played LW against Sunderland. Looked much better when moved back to LB and I think that is his most effective position. He doesn't have explosive pace like, say Lennon, but once he gets going on a run he is hard to shake off the ball and that is best used at LB

 

[DC_Boy]

and this illustraits that we're still weak down the left hand side.

At left back we have the option of Bale, Gilberto or BAE. Of those three Bale wins every time. I wouldn't feel particularly confident with the other two in defence. I would be far happier with Lee but that ship has sailed. On the face of it, in left midfield we have Bale, Gilberto or Dos Santos. Again i'm not really happy about Gilberto being in the team. He hasn't done anything to impress me yet. Although I rate Dos Santos i see him as more a no. 10 than a left winger and I don't think he offers much cover defensively on the left. Obviously he offers a threat going forward but he potentially leaves the left back very exposed (especially if we're not playing a defensively mided midfielder). So Bale wins again.

As Bale can't actually play at LB and LM simultaneously we have to comprimise somewhere and I would probably put Bale in defence. If we're going for a 5 in midfield then GDS could play LM and if we ensure that whoever is the most defensively minded midfielder offers cover to our left back (and right back) when needed. I think this is a good option with the players we have. Another possible solution is to put a more central midfielder, for example Jenas, on the left. This is what Jol did with Davids and Tainio. Although this makes us a more solid unit, the downside is that (appart from playing a CM out of position) if the LM gets pulled into the middle of the park then the left back could be forced to do everything on that side of the park, as Lee frequently had to. Obviously if we're playing a 5 in midfield then, again, the defensively minded midfielder could offer cover.

In the long term I see Bale as an attack minded left back. I will be interested to see how Ramos deploys him once everyone is settled. Personally, I would like to see a left sided midfielder come in in January.

[edit] I'd completely forgotten about O'Hara. I'd actually be tempted to play O'Hara on the left in front of Bale. That would offer plenty of defensive cover down that side. They could even swap positions during a match.

good points Howl

 

[craig4589]

His quality comes from his hair

All he is concerned about is his hair, to hide his jumbo ears!
Poor Gareth, maybe he just really wants to do a shampoo advert?

 

[Bus-Conductor]

This kid excites me, and I don't say that lightly. Personally I think Bale has the potential to be one of the best left midfielders in the EPL. I don't think he relishes defending but he absoloutely loves attacking and does it really well. His fitness is a huge worry. He has suffered with various problems from a very young age (I remember reading the report of a southampton youth coach who said they doubted he'd get this far due to the injury problems he'd had as a youth) and so far his senior career has been blighted the same way.

Going forward he is one of the most exciting prospects I've seen in a long time. He has that combination of pace, skill and strength that are vital. Lennon has pace and skill but is too easily bumped because ofhis size. Bale also works hard and can defend. He really has the potential to be a "great" player - and I do not use that word very often.

He is the reason I wasn't totally gutted at not getting Arshavin (although if Bale could improve defensively then Bale LB and Arshavin LM is fantasy football time) as I want to see Bale playing regularly at LM.

Staying injury free will be the issue.

 

[gibbs131]

Check out the love Bales is getting in the comments:

http://community.footballpools.com/blog/2008/09/12/gareth-bale-v-theo-walcott/

 

[DJS]

Play him left back. And get him to have a haircut.