Bale absence could hit Spurs wide-boy threat (News Feature)

By Jonathan Wilson Feb 14, 2011, 9:57 GMT

London - With Harry Redknapp, of course, you're never quite sure. Nobody enjoys the media game or plays it quite as adroitly as he does.

The Tottenham Hotspur manager said after his side's 2-1 win over Sunderland on Saturday that Gareth Bale was likely miss Tuesday's Champions League trip to AC Milan with a back injury, but nobody would be entirely surprised if the left-winger made a miraculous recovery.

The temptation must be, if there is any chance for Bale, to gamble with him. Milan, like so many Serie A sides, play very narrow in midfield, and that means that their full-backs can be exposed to width.

Tottenham have already shown against Internazionale this season just how dangerous they can be if they win enough possession in midfield to bring their wingers - Bale on the left and Aaron Lennon on the right - into the game.

Bale was mesmerising at the San Siro against Inter in the group stage, scoring a second-half hat-trick as Tottenham lost 4-3, and he similar destroyed the right-back Maicon as Tottenham won the return at White Hart Lane 3-1.

'You saw what Gareth did against Inter, when he terrorised them, really, and that would be in their minds an awful lot, I'm sure, if you asked them,' Redknapp said.

'Everybody in Italy talks about Bale - I went over and watched a game and everyone was asking me: 'Is Bale fit? Is Bale fit?'

'He would scare them to death, for sure.'

Milan's central strength may mean they dominate possession, and Spurs' attacking wide becomes irrelevant, but the pace Spurs have suggests they could unsettle a side that has stuttered since the winter break.

Significantly, the three league Milan have lost this season all came against teams who play with attacking wide men: Cesena, Juventus and Roma, who usually play a 4-3-1-2 similar to Milan's, but allowed their trequartista, Jeremy Menez, to pull wide.

It's not just that Milan's full-backs could be left vulnerable; the threat of Bale and Lennon also has an effect of Milan's attacking shape.

Because both are so rapid, full-backs dare not press on for fear of letting the winger get behind them.

If either Bale or Lennon gets behind the full-back then they're gone; there is no way the full-back can recover.

If the full-backs can't get forward, Milan have no attacking width, and that means they become predictable going forward, everything being funnelled through their trequartista, presumably Robinho, although Milan have used a number of players in the role.

If Bale doesn't make it, though, presumably Niko Kranjcar will be used on the left. He is in fine form, and has scored two superb goals in his last two games, but he lacks the pace of Bale.

Forward Rafael van der Vaart and striker Peter Crouch should both be available.

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