At the top of the list of Zinedine Zidane’s annoyances as Real Madrid coach would be constant questions about Gareth Bale as per Diario AS. Frequently injured, Zidane would always protect Bale from accusations of excessive fallibility on the part of the Welshman, much like Chris Coleman and Ryan Giggs, his coaches with the national team, would do. Jose Mourinho, his coach at Tottenham Hotspur, has taken a different approach.
Mourinho this week revealed that Bale missed Tottenham’s match with Everton due to a problem imperceptible to the club’s medical staff. The Welshman then responded on social media with a photo that contradicted the Portuguese, before Mourinho hit back in a press conference, revealing in so many words that he’s beginning to, like Zidane, become fed up of Bale.
From a sporting perspective, the move just hasn’t worked out. Bale was supposed to be the creative lynchpin that could take Tottenham to the next level while simultaneously rediscovering his own form. Instead, he’s been a substitute if five of Tottenham’s last six games, proving a luxury accessory as opposed to a crucial component.