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José Mourinho says that the Gareth Bale who left Tottenham to join Real Madrid should not be compared to the man who returned from Spain.
José Mourinho believes that Tottenham must accept that Gareth Bale is “a different player” the wizard of wings that Real Madrid took to North London seven years ago.
Bale returns to Spurs for the second time and Mourinho says it cannot be assumed that the borrower will have the same impact the second time around.
He related the situation of the Welshman with that of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, They have made subtle changes to their playing styles over the years to remain formidable forces.
Mourinho hopes that Bale can also contribute a lot to Tottenham But at the age of 31 he may not be like the explosive broad man of years past.
The changes could be plentiful for Tottenham in Sunday’s clash with Brighton and Hove Albion, given how unimpressed Mourinho was by the performance in Thursday’s Europa League defeat in Antwerp.
When asked after that game what his team would look like for Brighton, Mourinho said: “You want me to start with the same team as tonight? You’re a smart guy, you know my answer.”
Spurs getting a different bale
Addressing the matter of Bale, who had two shots, neither of which went on target, before being substituted after 58 minutes in Antwerp, Mourinho said: “I repeat, seven years is a huge gap. What player in the world is the same as seven years ago? Sometimes they are just different players.”
“You look, for example, at Ronaldo and Messi and compare them to seven years ago. I think it happens with most players. He sure is a different player. “
It remains to be seen if Bale faces Brighton.
“He is working very hard. He is improving,” Mourinho said. “He did not miss a minute of any training session. Playing the 90 minutes is still difficult, but he is improving. Hopefully he will return to a better level soon.”
Tottenham has home-court advantage for the Brighton game and ranks fifth in the Premier League heading into the weekend.
Mourinho is a tough foreman and will want an upgrade on his recent local form, Spurs have recorded all three of their Premier League victories away from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season.
At home they drew twice and lost once, against Everton in their first game of the season. The last time they failed to win four consecutive home games in the top flight was in the 2013-14 season.
Good record against Brighton
Their record against Brighton bodes well for that sequence to end, having won the previous three Premier League home meetings with the Seagulls.
And there was good news from Mourinho like he predicted that Eric Dier and Tanguy Ndombele should be fit for the game after physical ailments.
Having Ndombele back encourages Mourinho, who said: “We miss him because he gives the team speed, thinks fast, moves the ball fast. We miss him.”
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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