Tottenham are still within touching distance of the top four — and Gareth Bale’s resurgence might be just what they need to get over the line. 

The Welshman’s double against Crystal Palace took his tally to 10 for the season in all competitions and six in his last six games. 

In the blink of an eye, the Real Madrid loanee (pictured above) went from the ultimate luxury player to an integral part of Jose Mourinho’s starting XI. 

Ahead of a tasty North London derby against Arsenal later today, we consider what has changed for Bale, 31, and whether his form can last for the remainder of the season.

Quality of opposition 

The elephant in the room is the standard of opposition Bale has come up against during his improved spell.

Spurs have faced an underwhelming Wolfsberger side on two occasions in the Europa League, along with West Ham, Burnley, Fulham and Crystal Palace. 

Heading into games against Mourinho’s men, both Burnley and Palace only had one win in five, while Fulham had two over the same period. 

The Hammers were the only form team and defeated Spurs 2-1, with Bale having to settle for just an assist. 

Adaptation period

The last time Bale started consistently was during the 2018-19 campaign and adapting to regular football again is not an overnight process. 

Readjusting to a new league in a new country is also far from straightforward, despite the four-time Champions League winner playing in England before his money-spinning switch to Spain in 2013. 

Bale may have needed some time to get to grips with the rigours of the Premier League once more but he looks more than capable now he is up to speed. 

A key role to play

Bale has wrestled some responsibility away from Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son. 

Until the Europa League first-leg victory over Wolfsberger, he was averaging three shots and 2.39 touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes played. 

He is now averaging 3.3 shots and 4.04 touches in the area per game, while also attempting fewer defensive actions. 

Simply put, he has been given greater attacking responsibility and is reaping the rewards. 

A different system

Under Mourinho, Spurs have regularly changed their shape. 

At one stage, Tanguy Ndombele was tasked with being the attacking midfielder as it was clear the Portuguese tactician did not trust him in a two-man midfield — but that has now changed. 

As a result, the 2019 Champions League finalists are able to get Kane, Son, Bale and Lucas Moura into the same side. 

The quartet are too much to handle for many teams and the space created by others is benefiting Bale. 

Mourinho’s trust 

Quite frankly, Mourinho is not in the game to be popular. 

He is not afraid of cutting players out of the first-team picture if he does not believe they can do what he needs them to — he has done it before with big names such as Iker Casillas and he will do it again. 

Bale, however, appears to have earned the former Real Madrid coach’s trust. As the season has progressed, the No9’s involvement has increased. 

Post-Wolfsberger, he is now averaging more dribbles (7.9 up from 5.6) and attempting nine more passes per 90 minutes. 

Mourinho, 58, has allowed Bale to be more of an individual — quite the achievement when you consider he is a big advocate of teams being superior to single players. 

Bale’s on-off return to Spurs was a long-running saga but if the last few weeks are anything to go by, it could be set for a fairy-tale ending.