What did Jonathan Barnett say?
Speaking to Sky Sports, Barnett said, “Nothing has been discussed at the moment. He had a tough ride and I don’t think that should have been necessary.”
“He came as one of the best players in the world. Sure, he had a few injuries and a few fitness problems but once they were over, all he needed was to be played in the right position and to be played constantly to get back into the rhythm.
“He has been given that opportunity (under Mason) and you can see how he plays. I think with Gareth, like a lot of players, he has to enjoy his life and then you do well.”
When asked if any clubs are looking to sign him permanently, he said, “They would have to have a lot of money and they would have to be one that he has an interest in playing for. That rules out a lot of clubs.”
Brief Summary of Bale’s time at Real Madrid
[player 251] is a player that has been under-performing for a long time now. His first few years as a Real Madrid player were brilliant alongside [player 580] and [player 93948]. However, since Zidane’s appointment in 2015, Bale has never had an amicable relationship with the Frenchman.
The Welshman did score some extremely crucial goals in big games but could never win Zidane’s trust. His goals against [team 8] in the 2018 [league 2] final were match-winning goals that won his side a third European Cup in a row.
However, his overall relationship with [coach 407775] was terrible. A big reason why Zidane didn’t like him was his disrespectful behaviour towards the club and the coaching staff. Also, he wasn’t happy with his efforts on the training ground.
The famous “Wales, Golf, Madrid” flag was the moment when his [team 3468] career was over. Los Blancos fans were fuming at his behaviour, and it just added to Zidane’s anger. Following this event, another horrendous event occurred when Bale covered his eyes with his mask and rested on the bench when his teammates were playing a competitive game. He did that and made jokes and laughed in front of Zidane, which shows how toxic the relation was.
After all of these incidents, it’s hard to go against the Real Madrid fans that started hating a player that was one of their favourites a few years ago.
Is Barnett right in blaming Jose for Bale’s another under-par season?
His time at [team 6] has also been mixed. He never got consistent game time to prove himself. Jose was reportedly unhappy with his efforts on the training ground, and if you don’t work hard under [coach 455375], you don’t play.
In several games, Jose used to prefer [player 25776] and [player 95998] over Bale due to the Welshman’s poor tracking back. Jose prepares his teams on defensive robustness and rapid transitions in possession. While Bale still has his speed offensively, his tracking back and defensive work rate was not enough to satisfy Jose’s methods. As a result, he spent much of his time on the bench.
He did play here and there in the games with low importance and showed glimpses of just how unplayable he can be. Still, Jose was more reliant on the likes of [player 941], Bergwijn and Lucas.
He then did another stupid interview on international duty when he very honestly spoke about his decision to move to Spurs. His reason to move to London was to regain his fitness for the [league 1326] in the summer. His lack of seriousness around Tottenham’s season was now making Spurs’ fans mad at him. Again, his honesty was making the fans go against him.
Multiple reports also suggested that Jose wasn’t keen on signing Bale and wanted someone younger instead. However, Daniel Levy saw the opportunity to sign a player who would bring more TV money. He took that chance and signed him on loan.
Bale’s numbers this season are pretty good. In 16 [league 8] appearances, he has 9 goals and 2 assists. Recently, he scored a great hat-trick against already relegated [team 21].
To blame Jose for Bale’s time at Spurs is not completely right. Of course, the manager’s job is to get the best out of his players, but the player should also understand his responsibilities. Bale’s interview on international duty never helped, and that just made Jose’s points more valid about Bale’s mentality. Besides, constant injuries were also forcing his decreased game time.
Under [player 938], Bale is given slightly more priority and has looked decent. Hat-trick against Sheffield United is a big sign of that. However, the player has himself made it clear that he will return to Real Madrid this summer. Tottenham are reportedly not going to afford his huge wages given his performances and behaviour off the pitch.
