Ludogorets 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 talking points from a comfortable win for Spurs | Europa League 2020-21

#3 Bale is getting sharper all the time

Gareth Bale is slowly regaining full fitness and looking more dangerous.

Gareth Bale scored his first goal since returning to Tottenham from Real Madrid in last weekend’s victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. And despite the Welshman and his boss Jose Mourinho constantly stating that he needs to build his fitness, it looks like the goal has dramatically raised his confidence.

Bale was fantastic in this evening’s game. Not only did he register a pass success rate of 97% - the highest of any Tottenham player – but he was a constant menace to the Ludogorets defense every time he went forward.

It was his intelligent control, turn, and pass to Harry Kane that helped to set up Lucas Moura’s goal, and he was even willing to chase back and defend at times, too.

The Welshman still isn’t quite back to his best yet, and Mourinho clearly doesn’t want to risk him in a full game, as he was given 65 minutes tonight. But it’s clear that Bale is getting sharper all the time, and when he is back to full fitness, he’s likely to terrorize opposition defenses.

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#4 Vinicius is desperate for his first Tottenham goal

Carlos Vinicius needs to open his account for Tottenham to gain more confidence.

One player who didn’t have the best game this evening was Carlos Vinicius. Hooked off at half-time in last week’s loss against Antwerp, the Brazilian was left out of the Tottenham squad altogether for the weekend’s victory over Brighton.

Vinicius was restored to the bench for the game against Ludogorets and was introduced at half-time, replacing Harry Kane. However, the striker failed to make an impact anywhere close to that of the England captain.

Not only did he fail to press as heavily as his teammates when he first entered the fray, but he also made a number of passing errors and missed a couple of chances, too.

Essentially, despite his impressive debut two weeks ago against LASK, it seems that Vinicius is just lacking in confidence. And what he needs to change that around is likely to be his first Tottenham goal.

As he’s only just been signed, it’s doubtful that Jose Mourinho has lost faith in him completely yet, so hopefully, he manages to find the back of the net soon. If he can find that first goal, then it’s likely he’ll go from strength to strength.

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#5 Were Mourinho’s substitutions a message to Dele?

Does Dele Alli have any kind of future at Tottenham?

In a way, this evening’s win felt like a way for the Tottenham players who’d disappointed against Antwerp to prove their worth to boss Jose Mourinho. Of the four players who were hooked at half-time last week, Giovani Lo Celso started this evening’s game and scored.

Steven Bergwijn worked remarkably hard when he was brought on. And while Carlos Vinicius struggled, it wasn’t for lack of effort.

However, when it felt like it was time for Dele Alli to be introduced, Mourinho threw a curveball. Lo Celso was withdrawn on 72 minutes, but rather than send the England man on in his place, Tottenham's record signing Tanguy Ndombele instead emerged.

It was hard not to see the Frenchman’s introduction as a message to Dele, in a number of different ways. The easy conclusion to make would be that Mourinho has simply lost all faith in the 24-year old – and that his time at Tottenham is likely coming to an end. After all, he wouldn’t be the first player frozen out by the Portuguese boss following a slump in form.

But there’s another way of looking at it. Last season, it was Ndombele who felt Mourinho’s wrath and found himself largely frozen out. The Frenchman was verbally shredded by his boss following Tottenham’s March draw with Burnley, and it looked like his time at the club was done.

And yet Ndombele has turned things around this season and is now not only back in Mourinho’s plans but has become one of his key players. Perhaps the message to Dele tonight was that if he reacts to this kind of slight in the correct way, he could easily follow in the Frenchman’s footsteps.

In one of this season’s ongoing sagas, only time will tell what the truth of the matter is.