Should Wales Expect More from Gareth Bale at Euro 2016?

In the final minute of Wales’ 2-1 loss to England on Thursday afternoon, Neil Taylor launched a high cross in to the penalty area, and there was Gareth Bale rising to meet the ball with a header in an effort to rescue an unlikely point. 

But of course, despite being directly in front of goal and making a good connection, Bale put his header wide of the post, and Wales were defeated.

The narrative around Bale is that he has performed well at Euro 2016 and lived up to his billing, but is that really the case?

Should Wales not expect more from their only world-class player in France?

Of course to question Bale is to question a Welsh deity, and even a smidgen of criticism is dismissed as nonsense, but it is hard to argue we have seen the best of him yet.

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Yes, he has scored two of Wales’ three goals at the tournament, and both trademark free-kicks, but let us be clear, both should have been saved. 

The goals were embarrassments for the goalkeepers, rather than personal triumphs for Bale.

In Wales' opening game, Bale struck his free-kick well, and into the centre of the goal, but for some reason it still evaded the Slovakian goalkeeper Matus Kozacik to give Chris Coleman’s side the lead.

Once again in the game against England, Bale hit a powerful free-kick, but Joe Hart should never have been beaten from such a distance, around 35 yards, and yet he dived too late and had to watch the ball squeeze inside the post.

A relieved Hart acknowledged after the game (via the Daily Mirror) that he had been England’s “villain” for allowing Bale to score the goal.

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This is not to diminish Bale, you get a shot on target, you deserve any goal that may follow, but these set-piece goals should not obscure the fact Bale still has so much more to give at this tournament.

Euro 2016 offers Bale a unique platform to elbow himself in between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and be recognised as one of the world’s best players.

At Real Madrid, Bale will always be in Ronaldo’s shadow, with his goals and achievements forever a mere sideshow to whatever the Portuguese does.

The last time I was at the Bernabeu in April 2015, Bale scored the game's opening goal, but Ronaldo quickly trumped that by scoring five goals in a game for the first time in his career in a 9-1 win over Granada, and after each goal you could sense Bale’s increasing lack of interest in celebrating with him.  

But with Wales, Bale has so much more freedom; he is the man they turn to, the man that everything revolves around, and this is his team to drive forward.

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In the opening game against Slovakia, Wales were inspired by Bale’s presence, but it was nothing more than a solid start to Euro 2016 for him.

Bale was marginally better against England, but however much he huffed and puffed, he could still not create or score a goal from open play himself.

The Welsh sat back and defended deep and hoped they would be able to release Bale on the counter-attack, but that moment never arrived.

As a forward threat, Bale was largely anonymous, and Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill were able to dominate him.

Bale’s contribution to this game will be remembered more for his ill-judged comments in the build-up about how Wales have more pride and passion than the English.

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Two games played, and possibly only one more remaining, there is still a strong sense something more is to come from Bale—something special, a moment where he enshrines his greatness on the international stage.

Bale now has what could be one more chance to show his true self in France when Wales face Russia in Toulouse on Monday evening.

A point might be enough to take Wales through to the knock-out stages, while a win would confirm it.

The Russians have been distinctly unimpressive at Euro 2016 and appear the perfect wounded opponents for Bale to assert himself on.

The Bale of the Welsh qualifying campaign, and the Bale often seen in La Liga dressed all in white has yet to make an appearance at Euro 2016. 

So far he has been merely good, but this is a player who can be great.