THE TIPSTER
■ PLACE Everton and Liverpool/Chelsea draw alongside Tottenham in a trixie tonight.
■ VIKTOR HOVLAND, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Paul Casey and Jason Kokrak each-way for golf’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill at 12/1, 22/1, 25/1 and 35/1 with William Hill
JOSE MOURINHO has had his fill of being asked about Gareth Bale and says it is Real Madrid who have the answers about the on-loan forward’s fitness and future.
The Wales international put in his best performance since returning to Tottenham on a one-year loan in September as he scored twice in Sunday’s 4-0 Premier League win over Burnley.
Spurs boss Mourinho quipped ‘Gareth again?’ when questioned about the 31year-old’s slow return to form after seeing little action in recent seasons in Spain.
‘You should contact your colleagues in Madrid and they should ask (Real coach Zinedine) Zidane, because he (Bale) is a Real Madrid player and they have everything in their hands,’ he said ahead of
You should contact your colleagues in Madrid and they should ask Zidane
tonight’s trip to Fulham. ‘I just have a player on loan and I’m trying to take the best out of the player for Tottenham.’
Asked about Bale’s form, having taken time to readjust to the demands of English football, the Portuguese pointed the finger in Real’s direction and added: ‘Why in two years he had what he had in Madrid? Ask them. You can understand better why.
‘Or maybe to be patient was the main reason to find the level he found in the last few weeks.’
Mourinho insisted Bale was ‘responsible’ for his upturn in fortunes, saying Spurs merely gave him the opportunity to play.
‘I did nothing. I did nothing. When a player has injuries I believe the player always has scars and many, many times they are not just physical but emotional until he gets free, clean. Emotionally it takes time,’ he said.
‘I believe he is there, he is happy, he is clean, and we can manage his matches, his feelings but I repeat he is responsible.’
FULHAM boss Scott Parker will not waste any energy worrying about their relegation rivals as he focuses on Premier League survival.
The third-bottom Cottagers host Tottenham tonight having lost once in eight games and are just three points behind Newcastle and Brighton heading into the next round of fixtures. Parker (left), though, will not allow any attention to wander. ‘Never am I looking at a league table and that will be my stance until the end of the season,’ he said. ‘We got to this point by concentrating on us and what we need to do. Our sole focus is us.
‘The energy you lose from worrying about the what-ifs is really negative and it can sink you.’