UnbelievaBale

Gareth Bale tore the European Champions to shreds for the second time in 2 weeks to send Tottenham and their fans Inter dreamland.

After the 4-3 defeat in which Bale scored a hat-trick, I wrote about the fact that for some years now, Southampton fans have known that he had frightening potential. The manner in which he dismantled Maicon - no mug - time and time again in this pulsating victory took Bale's status to a level which possibly not even those in the know had thought possible.

It is easy to get carried away whenever a player has a good game...but think about the context.

Two weeks ago, Rafa Benitez, the Inter players, and pretty much all of Europe (and beyond - hi) saw what Bale was capable of when given space to run at the defender. It does not take a football mastermind to identify the threat that he poses, and when a rematch is just around the corner, item 1 on the Pre-Match plan is: Stop Bale.

The fact that he was under such scrutiny and spotlight prior to the game due to his stunning hat-trick would excuse any 21 year old player from struggling to cope or have much impact on the proceedings. Bale made a mockery of such predictions and created panic, danger, and an end product almost every time he got the ball.

The key lies in his change of pace. Bale does not particularly rely on fleet of foot or jinking skill - what he does is devastatingly simple. In full flight he has incredible speed, but the secret is in the acceleration and the variety of pace. Witness the number of times he simply runs round a defender...it starts slow, and then explodes with acceleration and power to take him past.

Perhaps the main reason this allowed him to torment Inter again is that Bale makes it difficult to shut him down. He does not need acres of open grass in which to build his acceleration, as it is so explosive and sudden. If he can receive the ball with even one touch of space ahead of him, he is able to build the type of unstoppable momentum that he demonstrated this morning, (I woke up early to watch it) and his composure and vision ensures that he often delivers a chance. There are a number of players around with blistering pace, but how many can you name who can so consistently deliver as devastating an end product?

From a defensive point of view, sticking a man right on him leaves acres of space in the channel and is not a viable option given how wide he plays; plus he is skillful enough to handle tight situations. Also, given the way he simply bypasses some of the world's best defenders; volunteers to man-mark him are presumably few and far between at present. Furthermore, this would give Aaron Lennon free roam on the right wing, and whilst he is not at Bale's level currently, it would be a foolish manager who overlooks his threat altogether.

What this game showed is that Gareth Bale has the potential to become a truly world class player. He will need to continue the form that he has shown throughout 2010, but certainly there will be few who dismiss him or put him in the 'form is temporary' bracket. Sure, Danny Cadamarteri looked decent for a while - but he never hit these peaks. Few, if any, players from the British Isles have done since a young Wayne Rooney was making waves.

Wales fans will be hoping that Giggs 2.0 can continue his development and perhaps bring some glory back to their international game - Spurs fans ought to savour every moment of this fantastic victory and incredible player as, sadly for them, he might not be around The Lane for a great deal longer.