Gareth Bale played his first game with Tottenham on Sunday and witnessed his squad squandering a 3-0 lead to settle for a draw at the end of the match. Bale's second debut with the Spurs might have served as a distraction but Jose Mourinho thought the Welshman was introduced at just the right time.
The homecoming would have been perfect though had Mourinho's side sealed the win against the Hammers. Harry Kane and Son Heung-min scored three goals inside the first 18 minutes of the away game, and it looked like Bale will be greeted with a victory upon his return from Real Madrid.
But the second half saw David Moyes' squad working on a stunning comeback and thanks to the goals cleared by Manuel Lanzini, Fabian Balbuena, and Davinson Sanchez, the match ended at 3-3. Tottenham only managed a point and the draw denied Mourinho's side a No. 2 spot on the Premier League table.
Fox Sports said Bale's return became the focus of the game and Mourinho dismissed the angle picked by media reports. The Portuguese stressed the match was about Tottenham clashing with West Ham and how the game played out and ended.
"Before the match you wanted to talk about Gareth Bale, after the game you want to talk about Gareth Bale. It's Tottenham vs West Ham," the Spurs boss was reported as saying.
Likewise, Mourinho addressed the suggestion that the returning winger turned out to be a distraction and his presence spoiled what was believed to be a sure win by Tottenham on the back of sterling performances from Kane and Son.
Bale came off the bench and failed to clear the net that would have given the Spurs the lead in the match. There were suggestions that the 31-year-old was deployed on the pitch a bit late but Mourinho said the introduction came at the right time and his move served a purpose.
The coach explained that in his second coming with Tottenham, Bale is very much welcome but he will need to win a spot in the first-team like everyone else.
"The decision not to start him was I think a good decision ... It was a message to the team that in this team everybody has to fight for positions," Goal reported the Portuguese as saying.
Also, Mourinho gave credit to West Ham for the way the match ended. He noted that the Hammers played better under Moyes and the result was because Tottenham did play against a very capable squad.
But the boss reminded his side got better too, specifically in the area of mental competitiveness, and is continuing to evolve.
