No reason for Gareth Bale to leave Spurs with such dynamic support cast

Tony Cascarino, The Times Spurs are not a one-man team. I can quite understand why pundits and fans have put Tottenhams success this season down to the force of nature that is Gareth Bale and I have lost count of the number of people who have suggested to me that Spurs rely heavily on him but he would not be able to shine as he did again last night were it not for the sheer brilliance of his team-mates. It is ridiculous for people to say that if you can stop Bale you can stop Tottenham. That is such a disservice to a team that I think are packed full of pace and talent. I am particularly impressed by the partnerships that have sprung up in Andr Villas-Boass side. Scott Parker and Mousa Dembl work so hard together in their deep-lying midfield roles. They shift the ball quickly, spot danger quickly. The moves all start with Parker, who is playing like he did

at West Ham United when he won Player of the Year. Then you have Kyle Walker and Aaron Lennon on the right wing. They are a telepathic pairing. Lennon is being outshone by Bale but even so is in the best form of his career. I look forward to seeing Walker and Lennon reproducing their partnership for England. William Gallas came in for Michael Dawson last night but Jan Vertonghen looks comfortable whoever he plays alongside. And as for Benot Assou-Ekotto, I often forget he is on the pitch because he is so quietly consistent. Up front, Jermain Defoe is looking razor-sharp, a real livewire, which only serves to underline the one weakness in this Spurs side; Emmanuel Adebayor, who has disappointed this season. Yes, football is easy for Bale right now and he is a special talent, but he would not shine without a team working their socks off. Having a team based on intense workrate gives Bale the freedom to express himself. Bale is suspended for the second leg in Italy and Spurs will perform perfectly well without him. They have set themselves up for a comfortable return match. But even if Bale was forced to miss more games, Tottenham would cope. He is not the only Spurs player being coveted by other clubs. If I was in the market to buy players, I would be tempted by most of Bales team-mates, not just Bale himself. This will not stop Tottenham fans worrying that he will be sold, but the club can hang on to him. They just need to prove to him that they can challenge for the title. Bale is good enough to demand that sort of success and Spurs have it in them to provide it if they can buy in the summer. They need a top-class striker and to bolster the midfield. Bale is a down-to-earth guy. And I can see him contentedly staying in North London for another two years if the clubs transfers continue to indicate that they are serious about Champions League football. All he has to do is look at how jaded Chelsea were against Steaua Bucharest last night to realise that he is part of a team with blistering pace and not all of it is down to him. Spurs are young and going places.