Wed Jun 12, 2019 10:53 am
BALE A SHADOW OF THE PLAYER HE CAN BE
Wednesday 12th June 2019
By Paul Abdanatto
The theory was meant to be that Gareth Bale would escape his Real Madrid woes, come back into the love of Wales and instantly don the Superman cape again.
Clearly football doesn't work like that.
Nor does any sport. As we said post-Croatia, if you're a boxer, cricketer, rugby player, whatever, expecting to have instant sharpness at elite level when you're not performing on a regular basis is clearly mission impossible.
Bale just looked wrong in Hungary. Summed up by the miscue with his toe which blew Wales' best chance of the match.
Giggs confided afterwards he was struggling to work out Bale's best role for Wales, whether as a nine, ten or wide right.
But it's far deeper than that. Bale seemed like a player mentally shot after a tortuous season when he has been ostracised by Real Madrid and jeered by his own fans.
The explosive, truly world-class Gareth Bale who drove Wales to the Euros, shone brightly out in Portugal, even made Coleman's reputation for him, simply isn't there at the moment.
At just 29 it would be foolish to write off Bale. What he clearly needs is to be playing football week in, week out again at a club where he is wanted.
It's not easy to leave Real Madrid when you're on £350,000 a week, but money clearly can't buy you everything.
Those Real Madrid woes have had a detrimental effect on Wales and deep down Giggs will be hoping his talisman cuts his losses and leaves the Bernabeu this summer.
Whether that move is to Manchester United, Tottenham, Bayern Munich, wherever, Giggs and Wales desperately need a fit and firing Bale to stand even the remotest chance of turning this Euro campaign around.
And Bale clearly needs out for his own sanity, too.
He looks a shadow of the Gareth Bale we know and love so much.
Wed Jun 12, 2019 5:12 pm
He is clearly not on top of his game but its not helped by the position he is playing. Up front and back to goal. I am not saying he can't do it but he is nowhere near as effective as when he is out wider and running at people. Trouble is Giggs wants to accomodate the youngsters coming through but its been done at the expense of putting our best player in a position he is good in but not world class. I would have had him out on the right cutting in on his left foot with Vokes up front. With Dan James the other side we would have had frightening pace.