Real Madrid’s Welsh player, Gareth Bale, has somehow not managed to find his feet this season. His manager, Zinedine Zidane, has been keeping him on the fringes of the team, so much so that he has only played in two of the last six matches, while in the other four his services have not been required.
In public, Zidane continues to maintain that Bale is a key member of the team and that he is not worried about him. However, when senior members of the squad refer to a “lack of drive,” they are implying the Welshman is not fully committed to the team.
Concerns like this have been voiced about Bale ever since his arrival at the Bernabéu seven years ago. While he is a footballer of undeniable talent, tipped to be the talisman of the team following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, it is a billing he has yet to live up to.
We have already reported here that the captains met with Bale at the beginning of the season to demand his total commitment in a year in which Barça was showing a degree of frailty in the league, having fallen to a couple of defeats at the beginning of the season.
Now, some have admitted that their teammate has not managed to connect with the group, although they have not given up hope of the Welshman returning to full strength. For the time being, a “lack of drive” seems to be the best way to describe Gareth’s behaviour. Only time will tell whether or not Bale will change, if he stays at Real, and whether Zidane continues to support the Welshman. That’s the way it goes…
