The north London derby demon: Could this be Bale's last dance?
One last dance to haunt the Gunners? Eight years to the exact month since his last north London derby, Gareth Bale is back and in red-hot form ahead of Emirates showdown with Arsenal… but can he pick up where he left off?
- Gareth Bale is set to face Arsenal in what could be his final north London derby
- Bale remained an unused sub in December after struggling to adjust to his return
- Now the Welshman is firing on all cylinders and is an important asset once more
- Sportsmail skims the archives to recollect Bale’s Arsenal magic over the years
Perhaps this weekend was always written in the stars for Gareth Bale.
Arguably one of the greatest players to ever pull on a Tottenham shirt, Bale’s fairytale return this season appeared sadly on course to go down as a resounding failure… until recent weeks.
Finally, at last, things have clicked for the Welsh wizard. Bale is on song for Spurs and has struck up a delicious understanding with talisman Harry Kane.
Results are picking up for the men in white and, ever so aptly, Bale’s rebirth comes just in time for a north London derby, eight years to the exact month since his last.
Eight years to the exact month since his last north London derby, Gareth Bale is back for more
Speak the words ‘in-form Gareth Bale’ and the blood of an Arsenal supporter runs cold. The left winger terrorised the Gunners during his first spell in north London and now, with confidence running high, Bale is back for more.
In what is a crucial game for both teams desperately hoping to qualify for European football, Sportsmail takes a look back through the archives at Bale’s brilliance against the Gunners from yesteryear.
Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal: January 2007
Spurs may have been sent packing on their own turf in this fixture, but a piece of Bale magic signaled a changing of the tides.
At this point in time the men in white in north London were trying desperately to step out of the shadow of their powerful neighbours.
Gunners took delight in goading their rivals from down the road, but at Spurs a project was slowly building.
A fresh-faced Bale was to be central to everything, but on this particular occasion he was merely dipping his toes in the water.
A fresh faced Bale got his moment in the sun in 2007 with a sublime, curling freekick
Still yet to grow into his gangly frame, Bale looked like a boy against men when he stepped out onto the field, yet it only took him 15 minutes to make a major impression.
After a freekick was won some 30-yards from goal, slightly to the left side of the area, Bale wasted no time in staking his claim. The youngster took ownership of the ball despite playing alongside the likes of Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane.
With a swish of his magical left foot he curled the effort up and over the ball before nestling it inside Manuel Almunia’s bottom corner.
The moment, in the grand scheme of things, was huge. White Hart Lane exploded, and Spurs fans finally started to believe their time was coming with a very special player on their hands.
Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal: April 2010
Bale’s status in the Premier League skyrocketed in such a short period of time then when the two sides met in 2010, he was very much considered the main man.
Many fans will remember this fixture for a 19-year-old Danny Rose’s remarkable debut goal, in which he rifled home a volley from almost 40-yards out.
But it was Bale however who tied up all three points with a sumptuous finish in the second half after latching onto a through-ball and guiding it past Almunia with his first touch in one effortless motion.
The Welshman once again left Almunia on his knees as he blew Arsenal away with his efforts
Cult hero Nicklas Bendtner was able to grab a goal back for the Gunners, but the hard work of Spurs and Bale had been done.
The Welshman remained untouchable for most of the game, blitzing down the touchline and showing his burst in strength since his goal against Arsene Wenger’s men in 2007.
Bale was now become a physical specimen, hard to shake off the ball and impossible to jostle in the air. With his powers beginning to peak, Spurs now held the upper hand.
Arsenal 3-2 Tottenham: September 2010
Same season, same mastery.
Bale was a thorn in the side of the Gunners as Tottenham staged a stunning comeback to win at the stadium of their rivals for the first time in 17 years.
In the process they wrecked the Gunners’ hopes of going top of the Premier League, inflicting a bitter double blow.
Two goals inside half-an-hour courtesy of Samir Nasri and Marouane Chamakh set the fixture up for the same old story, where Arsenal assert dominance before collecting the points.
Bale, however, had other ideas.
Lukasz Fabianski could only look on as Bale’s delicate finish headed straight for the corner
Just after re-merging for the second half, Bale propelled his side back into action. Back in the days when he still wore the No.3 shirt, the Welshman raced up field during a counter attack and brought down a Rafael van der Vaart through-ball with graceful elegance.
Controlling the searching pass with his heel, Bale someone managed to flick the ball into his stride with defenders hot on his tail, before dabbing it beyond the onrushing Fabianski and picking out the bottom corner with pinpoint precision.
Van der Vaart went on to equalise from the penalty spot, before launching in a freekick from the right flank for defender Younes Kaboul to head home a priceless 85th minute winner.
Bale was widely lauded for his performance, with pundits in the aftermath labeling him as the driving force behind Spurs emphatic comeback.
Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal: March 2013
This was Bale’s final outing against the Gunners and so, right on cue, it was only right that he made the back of the net ripple.
This was the season that Bale truly came into his own. He went from a very good, stand-out Premier League star, to an undisputed world beater.
Bale had reached his final form of evolution and it came as no surprise that Real Madrid were already banging the door down for his signature.
He lined up in a strong Tottenham side and found himself constantly monitored by Arsenal’s defensive midfielder Mikel Arteta – who will be commanding play from the dug-out on Sunday.
Bale’s holds his fingers up to gesture the score after downing Arsenal in his last derby game
The mere presence of Bale left the Gunners back line all of a flutter, and with him now pulling over into more central position, it became apparent that chaos would ensue.
Spurs’ star man marauded across the entire front line, and Arsenal soon caved to his advances. A powerful run through the dead centre of the pitch saw Bale screaming with his arms outstretched, demanding Glyfi Sigurdsson thread a through-ball into his path.
The Iceland international duly obliged, and Bale made a difficult finish look like child’s play.
Aaron Lennon would go on to score a carbon copy of Bale’s effort and Spurs would pick up another slice of bragging rights against the Gunners.
It was a fitting sign-off for Bale, who was simply far too much for his opponents to handle. He didn’t depart as just the best player in north London, but as the finest in England’s top flight.
Honourable mention – Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham: November 2012
This was a painful defeat for Spurs, and certainly won’t be fondly looked back upon by Bale himself. Yet his performance on this afternoon remains something to marvel.
Spurs had taken the lead through pantomime villain Emmanuel Adabayor on his return to his old club, and the most embarrassing of afternoon’s looked to be on the cards for the Gunners.
That is, until Adebayor then got himself sent off for a wild, high challenge on Santi Cazorla.
A classic throwing of the handbags followed and, rather uncharacteristically for Bale, he was seen launching an irate Jack Wilshere with a powerful shove before gesturing to him how he was one of the smallest men on the field.
Bale showed he was ready for the rough and tumble after clashing with the fiery Jack Wilshere
Bale was fired up, though his ten-man side would soon be drowned out by Arsenal’s advances.
The Gunners struck up a vicious momentum and peppered the Spurs net, yet throughout the game Bale still remained impossible to get tabs on.
Left, right and centre he shrugged off opponents, before rattling the woodwork from long range.
The game had left Spurs behind in the latter stages, but that didn’t stop Bale cutting inside and fizzing an effort into the far corner. The away end had little to celebrate on that day, but the strike of the Welshman elicited applause from all.
The return
And so now a new chapter is to be written. Perhaps, it should be noted, an emotional last dance.
Earlier in the season, when Bale’s much highlighted struggles to readjust to Spurs life were documented, he had to endure a frustrating evening on the bench against Arsenal back in early December, as Mourinho’s men took a confidence-boosting 2-0 win.
Now, however, Bale doesn’t have to worry about being an unused sub. He is the main man once more.
On Thursday night, as Spurs faced Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League, Mourinho admitted Bale was being saved especially for the north London derby.
Bale is finishing the season strongly with Spurs and has linked up well with Harry Kane
‘We are. Not just me – me and him,’ Mourinho replied when asked by BT Sport before kick-off whether he was managing Bale’s minutes.
‘His feelings, the way he feels his body, so many matches that we have to play. Of course the second leg is more important than the first leg in the end.
‘Arsenal away, Villa away, it’s too much, not just for Gareth, it’s too much for everyone, so we are managing a little bit.’
Should he return to Madrid at the season’s end, Bale will have just this one final occasion to enhance his enviable Spurs record against their bitter rivals.
It currently stands at 10 games, five goals and one assist. Here’s hoping for one last piece of magic.
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