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It isn't a shocking revelation to point out that Gareth Bale is a better footballer than Olivier Giroud, but it should be a major concern to Arsenal that Spurs can switch to their fourth-choice striker and still look the stronger candidates to finish in the top four.
While the last week has seen Bale repeatedly and somewhat foolishly compared to Cristiano Ronaldo, a more appropriate comparison at this stage is to look at how the makeshift centre-forward shapes up against Spurs' rivals in the race for a Champions League place. And it's abundantly clear that Bale is a far more convincing attacking option than both Giroud and the misfiring Fernando Torres, who started for Arsenal and Chelsea on Saturday.
While Bale's four strikes in the last three matches might suggest that Spurs are growing increasingly reliant on their star player, the winger's seamless movement across the front line reveals the flexibility available to Andre Villas-Boas as he addresses Jermain Defoe's injury and Emmanuel Adebayor's return from the Africa Cup of Nations (as well as the poor form that preceded his absence).
By contrast, Arsene Wenger appears to be stuck with Giroud as his only option in the middle - with Theo Walcott much more convincing on the wing - and Rafa Benitez has only the like-for-like choice between Torres and Demba Ba available as Chelsea's position in the top four becomes worryingly precarious.
In a somewhat perverse way the adaptability of Spurs' front line can occasionally be detrimental, and in the first half against Newcastle the attack was perhaps guilty of too much movement as Clint Dempsey failed to provide a focal point in the centre.
But moving Bale into the middle is the ace up Villas-Boas' sleeve and the manager will have been delighted as the 23-year-old continued to display his superb finishing ability with a cool strike that secured three points and took Spurs temporarily above Chelsea into third. It was Bale's 13th Premier League goal of the season and he now has only three fewer than Giroud and Torres combined.
It was perhaps a surprise that Villas-Boas initially moved Bale back to the left wing following his winning goal against West Brom from a central role last week, and the Spurs boss admitted that "things worked better in the second half" after the Wales international switched positions with the hardworking but uninspiring Dempsey.
"He's enjoying his football through the middle," said Villas-Boas after Bale's match-winning performance. "He can sniff the goals at the moment."
That Bale only has one Premier League assist this season may be a concern, but his role in the team has changed and the creative burden has been relieved by Aaron Lennon's form and the arrival of Lewis Holtby.
While I questioned Spurs' failure to bring in another striker in January in Winners & Losers, Villas-Boas has several options available to change the shape and approach of his team depending on how each match progresses. And with Bale offering a convincing solution to most problems, it bodes well for Spurs as they aim to finish ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea in the race to reach the Champions League.
Matt Stanger - he's on the Twitter.
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