The role of Gareth Bale in Harry Redknapp’s starting eleven looks to be a crucial factor in his Fantasy potential for the coming season. Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Thierry Henry’s New York Red Bulls this morning again highlighted his attacking prowess as Bale threatened on numerous occasions with powerful runs and precise crosses.
Bale started the match in midfield, only to be shifted to left-back for the second-half but that move did little to shackle his attacking intent or prevent him from notching Tottenham’s winner from a searching pass from Tom Huddlestone.
Once again the Spurs left, with Bale so prominent, provided the main threat and ultimately an end product. Redknapp surely cannot contemplate starting matches without the Welshman’s surges down that flank; the only question remains just how deep Bale’s starting position will be and whether that will modify his potential Fantasy output…
Bale is still classified as a defender across many games and as such is almost a no-brain selection for your initial lineup. In the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game however you’ll find him within the 6.5 bracket in midfield. That poses a few more questions.
Blackburn’s David Dunn and City’s Adam Johnson are both available for the identical price, while the bonus gathering abilities of Wigan’s Charles N’Zogbia can be bought for 6.0, along with Bolton’s Bulgarian flyer Martin Petrov.
With those alternatives available Bale is suddenly not quite an automatic pick. A staggering 27% of the current FPL Managers disagree though. Bale is ranked second in the midfield selection rankings, trailing Frank Lampard. A closer look at Bale’s impressive FPL scoring rate sheds some clear light on this popularity.
The Welshman played for 1713 minutes last term after breaking into the Spurs side in January. He registered 118 points giving him “a minutes per point” return of 14.51. Cesc Fabregas (10.82), Frank Lampard (11.33). Mikel Arteta (13.24), Florent Malouda (13.63) were notable players who notched more regularly than Bale, although all are priced significantly above the Spurs man this season.
Martin Petrov is one exception. As mentioned he can be brought in for just 6.0 and in last season’s City side he brought in 60 points in just 727 minutes giving him a minutes per point stat of 12.11. Petrov will also prove a popular FPL signing this season, there’s no question on that, even though his knee will cause concern and could limit the number of starts he earns. Bonus points in the Bolton side will surely fall into his lap with regularity – that and Petrov’s thunderous shot and set-piece hogging are undoubtedly factors in his favour.
As for Gareth Bale, his stock will rise again off the back of last night’s performance but caution will still be the watchword for some while Harry’s intentions for his young starlet are assessed. Full-back, wing-back or left midfield – we have to consider how his role will influence matters; right now we need more evidence.
What’s your view on Bale in the light of his new FPL classification? We’ve launched a new poll in the middle column to canvas opinion.