Criticism of Gareth Bale in Champions League Suggests Time for Premier Return
After a season that has failed to build on the successes of last year, Gareth Bale suffered further ignominy on Tuesday night as he was criticised for his display in Real Madrid's Champions League tie at Juventus.
The former Tottenham Hotspur winger found himself on the receiving end following a disappointing display that included just 32 touches of the ball in the 2-1 first-leg loss, as Adam Bate of Sky Sports noted.
Bale was then the subject of negativity from ITV Sport analysts Roy Keane and Paul Scholes in a post-match debate on television.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Keane was quoted by Mark Ogden of The Telegraph as saying:
"You can’t win a game with 10 men. Gareth Bale gave Real Madrid nothing tonight.
You could see a lack of confidence, but he kept making the easy decision.
The reason he is at Real Madrid is to be brave, to get at people, but every time he got it tonight – even in one-v-ones – he turned back and, again, his team-mates can’t be happy with him because he took the easy option every time.
"
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was quick to highlight that Bale had only just returned from injury, which offered some respite from the critics, as Ogden also noted.
However, the Spanish newspapers were of a similar mind to Keane as they rated Bale the lowest performer on the night at the Juventus Stadium.
Indeed, Ashley Clements of the Daily Mail reported that AS had not even given the Welshman a mark in their match ratings.
Of course, the welter of criticism aimed at Bale misses another crucial point: Andrea Pirlo made the Welshman look worse than he was.
The Juventus playmaker has the look of a man who could play football while sitting in a chair, and he proved it once more with another defining display for the Old Lady.
Massimiliano Allegri knew exactly what he was doing when he rested the 35-year-old for Saturday's title-clinching win at Sampdoria. He knew how vital Pirlo would be against Real Madrid.
But that is an incidental matter when it comes to dissecting the minutiae with Los Blancos.
Bale is not the world's costliest player for no reason, and he was an integral part of the successes enjoyed at the Bernabeu last season, including a vital goal in the Champions League and Copa del Rey finals.
It was always going to be a monumental challenge to attain the heights of last season, and the 25-year-old surely cannot be judged with Real Madrid still in the hunt for the Liga and Champions League titles?
It is, though, because that is the world of knee-jerk reaction these days, and Bale is no exception to the law of the football jungle.
But the barbs aimed at Bale this season have, largely, been unwarranted, especially when it comes from a team-mate such as Cristiano Ronaldo, with James Whaling of the Daily Mirror among those to note the Portugal international's reaction to the Welshman's goal against Levante in March.
Such petulance was unbecoming of Ronaldo, but the critical words of the Bernabeu crowd have also been wide of the mark, with Bale jeered by some sections of his home crowd this season, as Joe Short of the Daily Express reported in February.
Jeremy Cross of the Daily Star noted the supportive words of Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, in the wake of the Juventus defeat as a "blow" to Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United's hopes of landing the forward this summer.
Barnett was quoted as saying:
"Why should we take any notice of comments from people who don't know what they are talking about - and from people who have failed in management.
This is only an issue in England. Gareth is at the biggest club in the world. He is one of the best players in the world. He is fine.
He only listens to relevant comments. He is 100 per cent focussed on Real Madrid.
"
That would appear to rule out a summer return to England, and Bale would be right to remain at the Bernabeu for next season to prove his point.
However, if Real Madrid see their hopes of retaining the Champions League dashed by Juventus in the Spanish capital next week, and they also fall too far behind league leaders Barcelona in the coming days, the nature of the knee-jerk reaction will demand a scapegoat.
It is not exactly too far beyond the realms of possibility to imagine Bale would be high among the chief culprits no matter what occurs in Real Madrid's forthcoming matches.
Keane pointed out in his post-match analysis that Bale seemed short of confidence. Perhaps reconsidering his stance of ruling out a return to the Premier League will provide that?
There appears to be no shortage of potential suitors in the upper echelons of the English top flight who could afford a deal to bring the Welshman to the club.
Bale and Barnett should give serious thought to encouraging them.
