Gareth Bale’s Wales team-mates have offered a show of support in
the face of criticism of his performances for Real
Madrid and backed the
forward to put any problems behind him in Saturday’s Euro 2016 qualifier in
Israel.
Bale appears to have been cast as the
scapegoat for Real’s results, including a 2-1
defeat at Barcelona on
Sunday. When he left Real’s training complex in the early hours of the
following morning his car was
attacked by a couple
of fans. The Madrid press has also been unforgiving in its coverage of Bale,
carrying online fan polls calling for him to be dropped.
Although leaving Madrid behind and
reporting for international duty provides no escape from the spotlight for the
world’s most expensive footballer – an unprecedented 30 TV cameras and
photographers lined up at the Vale of Glamorgan to see Bale in training on
Wednesday – the Wales team are united in their support for a
player whose contribution for his country has never been questioned.
“I think he’s got used to all that,”
said Neil Taylor, the Swansea left-back, when asked about the flak Bale has
received and the scrutiny he has been under at Madrid. “He isn’t going to care
what I think about how he’s playing, the same way he isn’t going to care what
some reporter writes who’s never played the game. I think [Gareth] deals with
it really well and, to be fair, it looks like it comes with the job at Real
Madrid that, when you’re a player there, you have to perform every game, you
have to score every game.
“I think he’s become really acclimatised
to who he is now and the influence he has on teams. And we’re really glad to
have him. He has become a real leader and you can see there is a drive there
for him to want to get to a major tournament. He knows how good a player he is,
it’s as simple as that, so he knows he can influence football matches, so maybe
that’s where he feels, like the Andorra game [in September]: ‘The game’s not
happening here for us, I have to take more responsibility on myself because I
can do things other players can’t do.’ And he does that. That’s where he
produces.”
Bale scored both goals in the 2-1 victory against Andorra that
provided the springboard for a promising campaign that has seen Wales pick up
eight points from their four matches to sit second in group B and ignite hopes
that Chris Coleman’s side can reach next year’s finals in France.
With Israel top, after taking maximum
points from their opening three fixtures, Wales could do with another
inspirational display from Bale in Haifa to take command of the group.
“I doubt the Israelis will be looking
forward to facing him at the weekend,” Joe Allen, the Liverpool midfielder,
said. “He’s a world-class player who shows that in every minute in every
session. I don’t get the impression he is someone who is fazed by these sorts
of things. It comes with the territory at a club like that. I doubt it has too
much influence on him.”
There is certainly little evidence
within the Wales camp that Bale is suffering from a lack of belief following
events in Spain. “I’ve seen no difference in his confidence, not the way he was
striking it today and putting it in the top corner,” Sam Vokes, the Burnley
striker, said. “There was no lack of confidence there.”
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