Welsh international Bale’s reputation has soared with some stellar performances for Spurs at home and in Europe, particularly in last season’s Champions League campaign where Harry Redknapp’s side progressed to the quarter finals.
The 22-year-old has continued in the same vein this season, and Johnson admits he will be one of the danger men that City must deal with on Sunday.
He says, “Everyone could see what he could do on the world stage last season in the Champions League. His pace, his ability to run at people and his fitness are all top quality, and he’s a big part of what is a great team to watch.
It’s up to us to stop players like Bale, Lennon and others. We should concentrate on ourselves, what we can all do as a team and as individuals. Hopefully they’ll be worrying about us and our top players.
...Adam Johnson assesses Spurs
Memories on both sides will be fresh of the last meeting between City and Spurs, a stunning 5-1 win for the Blues at White Hart Lane last August. Four goals from Edin Dzeko helped City on their way that day, but Johnson insists that result and performance will have little bearing when the sides meet at a sold-out Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
“That will have nothing to do with it, Sunday is another game,” he declares. “That was the beginning of the season, now everything is totally different. Both teams have improved from there.
“One-off results like that do happen; hopefully it might play on their minds a little bit and we can get another one over on them but I think it will be a totally different game.
“They went on a fantastic run after that. Results like that can make teams bounce back, it drives you on to not allow that to happen again and Spurs certainly did that. It’s up to us now to beat them on Sunday and extend the gap.”
