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#3 Gareth Bale’s first start back at Tottenham was a quiet one
The game against LASK was always going to be a somewhat memorable occasion, purely because it marked the first start for Gareth Bale during his second stint at Tottenham. Unfortunately for the Welshman, it wasn’t the blockbuster return he might’ve hoped for.
To tell the truth, in such a low-key game, it was always going to be tricky for him to grab the headlines. Bale was relatively quiet throughout his 62 minutes on the pitch, and in truth, Tottenham looked more dangerous once he was withdrawn although that may have had more to do with the introduction of Dele Alli.
Overall, Gareth Bale will surely make a major impact at some point this season – he’s too good not to – but against LASK, it was very clear that he is very rusty right now.
It’s hardly a surprise given he only played a handful of games in 2019-20, but his showing against LASK should probably be a wake-up call of sorts for Tottenham fans expecting the old magic to return right away. It may take a few more games yet.
#4 Dele Alli looked sharp when he came on
The talk of Dele Alli potentially leaving Tottenham has naturally quietened down since the closure of the transfer window, but given the England international has barely been involved in Spurs’ recent games, it would’ve been fair to question his future.
However, the most reliable reports in this regard have always suggested that Dele Alli is willing to stay in North London and fight for his place, and his cameo against LASK suggested there’s some truth in that. Introduced into the fray with around half an hour remaining, Alli made plenty of impact as soon as he came onto the pitch.
Sure, not everything he did came off – he missed a good chance at one point and also suffered from some confusion over a potential offside during another foray forward – but he was still impressive.
Perhaps the most telling point was his workrate. Everyone knows that Jose Mourinho loves his players to give their all and fight to win the ball back should they lose it – and Dele Alli did just that tonight, looking more than happy to defend as well as looking to get involved in attacks.
It’s almost a cliche now to suggest that Dele Alli could play a big role for Tottenham this season if he can find his form again. While against LASK, it may have been an easy game against a weak opponent, his performance on the night is definitely a positive sign that he’s heading in the right direction.
#5 Tottenham may not need to leave third gear to win their Europa League group
The overall feeling from the game against LASK was that Tottenham didn’t really need to break a sweat in order to win. Aside from the odd dangerous set-piece, LASK offered little going forward, and had Spurs been more clinical, they could easily have had six or even seven goals.
That begs the question – will Tottenham really need to leave third gear in order to win their Europa League group? On the evidence of the game against LASK, the answer to that will probably be no. There’s nothing to really suggest that Royal Antwerp or Ludogorets could offer any more resistance than LASK, and that has to be encouraging for Jose Mourinho.
Tottenham now have a strong, deep squad, but with so many games this season, everyone from key men like Harry Kane to fringe players like Jack Clarke are going to have to play a role at some point. That means that having relatively easy games like the one against LASK to play on Thursday nights is a bit of a bonus for Mourinho and his men.
Given that the group stage of the Europa League doesn’t end until mid December, it’s probably not a stretch to say that Tottenham shouldn’t have any trouble in the competition until the early part of 2021.
Essentially, Spurs have been handed a bit of a gift in the form of such a seemingly easy draw. It’s now up to them to use it to full effect by easing through these Thursday night games and saving their best football for the Premier League games on weekends.
