MX23RW : Friday, March 29 12:48:58| >> :120:21810:21810:

Andre Villas-Boas explains tactical talk that helped Gareth Bale develop

Andre Villas-Boas explains tactical talk that helped Gareth Bale develop
© Reuters
The on-loan Real Madrid forward is set for his second debut for Tottenham this weekend.

Former Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas has recalled the conversation that helped turn Gareth Bale into the world's most expensive player.

The Wales international had first made an impact at White Hart Lane under Harry Redknapp, but it was not until Villas-Boas tinkered with his formation that Bale's full potential was unlocked.

The Portuguese, who managed Spurs for 18 months between 2012 and 2013, moved Bale higher up the pitch and it paid immediate dividends as he went on to produce stunning form which saw Real Madrid sign him for a then world-record £85million in the summer of 2013.

"When Gareth wasn't feeling that he was unlocking his full potential, he came into my office one day and he said, 'Boss I'm not happy, things are not going well for me'," the current Marseille manager told COPA90 in a virtual manager masterclass to celebrate the biggest update of EA SPORTS FIFA 21's Career Mode in 10 years.

"Okay, I said, 'I can try and change to a 4-4-2 formation, and you play free at the top with (Emmanuel) Adebayor and I can move (Gylfi) Sigurdsson to the left, cutting in.

"This is when Gareth started on that run of games where he scored, I think for five or six games in a row, and then the results exploded, and his career exploded from that moment on."

Spurs fans will be hoping Bale can recreate similar form as he looks to make his second debut for the club against West Ham on Sunday.

Gareth Bale's form for Spurs under Villas-Boas saw him become the world's most expensive player
Gareth Bale's form for Spurs under Villas-Boas saw him become the world's most expensive player (Nick Potts/PA)

Bale has been regaining his fitness during the current international break, with staff inside the club highly impressed by his levels in training.

That will please chairman Daniel Levy, who negotiated a favourable deal to get Bale back on loan from Real Madrid last month.

But Villas-Boas' recollection of another incident from his time at Spurs will not be so good for Levy to hear.

The Portuguese has spoken about the time they had Willian pinched from under their noses by Chelsea, just after Bale had been sold.

It is well-known that Spurs paid for the Brazilian's travel to London and medical ahead of a proposed move to north London, before he eventually chose Chelsea at the death, but Villas-Boas has given more detail.

"I think that Daniel Levy won't appreciate it too much, but we had Willian in our office at Spurs, watching the Champions League game together, before he left the room and signed for Chelsea that night," he added.

"We also missed (João) Moutinho, who became famous mostly of course because of Wolves, because of being one minute late on the deadline."

:: EA SPORTS FIFA 21 and COPA90 linked Timbsy up with Zinedine Zidane, Antonio Conte, Andre Villas-Boas, Brendan Rodgers and Chris Wilder for a Virtual Manager Masterclass to celebrate the biggest update of Career Mode in 10 years.

ID:418439: cacheID:418439:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6872:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Joe Rodon pictured for Swansea City in March 2020
Read Next:
Spurs to include 'multiple players' in Rodon deal?
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!