WHAT HAPPENED
Juventus striker Carlos Tevez smashed home a second-half penalty as the hosts stunned holders Real Madrid with a 2-1 win in an absorbing Champions League semi-final, first leg on Tuesday. The Argentine won the spot-kick just before the hour when he was upended by Dani Carvajal on a breakaway and tucked it away to give Juve the edge heading into the second leg.
The home side's Alvaro Morata scored against his old club, although he declined to celebrate, in the ninth minute but Cristiano Ronaldo headed the equaliser for Real in the 27th. However, much of the post-match focus has been on the performance of Bale.
Real began shakily and played well in patches though Sergio Ramos, once again moved up to midfield, looked uncomfortable, at one point spraying a cross-field pass aimlessly into touch. Welshman Bale, meanwhile, was utterly anonymous on his return from injury.
Real Madrid's Gareth Bale in action with Juventus' Patrice Evra - AFP
Roy Keane, working as a pundit for ITV, launched a scathing attack on Bale, claiming that Real Madrid looked like they were playing with 10 men, such was the Welshman's non-existent performance.
[ROY KEANE: GARETH BALE GAVE REAL MADRID 'ABSOLUTELY NOTHING' AGAINST JUVENTUS]
Bale, signed by Real Madrid for 85.3m from Tottenham in 2013, has endured a difficult second season in Madrid, leading to speculation that he could be interested in a move back to the Premier League.
Real Madrid's Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo look dejected after Juventus score their first goal - Reuters
WHAT CARLO ANCELOTTI SAID
"He was tired. He's just back from injury and he's too important for us," explained Ancelotti. He's our most dangerous player. Because he was tired, I just preferred not to take any risks, so I took him off."
Champions League - 1/2 Finals: Juventus v Real Madrid - Eurosport
WHAT ROY KEANE SAID
"It's very difficult to win a big game like this when you're only playing with 10 men. Gareth Bale gave them absolutely nothing tonight.
[PREVIEW: BARCELONA V REAL MADRID]
WHAT THE SPANISH PRESS SAID
AS: "The Welshman was lost, without space to run into. To play this system, it would have been much better to start with Chicharito [Javier Hernandez]. The Mexican creates space, not like Bale who is always static. And on the right he didn't do anything either. It is true that many players played poorly, but none were as bad as Bale. When Juventus decided to toughen the game, he hid."
Marca: "Madrid needed something to light a spark. It wasn't going to be Bale, who was switched off all night."
Real Madrid's Welsh forward Gareth Bale looks on - AFP
WHAT THE BRITISH PRESS SAID
Mark Ogden (The Telegraph): "Gareth Bale was handed a central attacking role by Carlo Ancelotti, but the Wales winger failed to impress against Juventus. The 25-year-old, making his first start for almost a month following an injury lay-off, has struggled for form in recent weeks and he was once again on the periphery in Turin. He is certainly not the player who was so crucial for Real this time last season and, with interest growing from Premier League clubs, perhaps the Madrid sparkle is beginning to fade for the 85m man."
David Hytner (The Guardian): "Sergio Ramos laboured in defensive midfield while Gareth Bale, having just returned from a calf injury, was peripheral. When he did have the ball, he played it too safe and Carlo Ancelotti, the Real manager, was forced to defend him."
OUR VIEW
Bale has become an easy target at Madrid. On the whole, Real were poor. Cristiano Ronaldos equaliser papered over an otherwise pretty dire performance from the Portuguese but he has faced little criticism.
The reaction from the British press has been a touch more measured than the partisan behaviour from their Spanish counterparts. However, there is clearly a problem with Bale he is shorn of confidence.
This is not a question of talent as Bale has proven time and again that he is a supreme footballer; this appears to be an issue of mental fragility. Ronaldo is the dominant force in the Madrid dressing room and Bale tends to cower rather than challenge that fact. It is probably no coincidence that Bales most dominant performance in a Madrid shirt came in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona when he ran the length of the pitch to grab a late solo winner a match which Ronaldo watched from the sidelines due to injury. In the absence of Ronaldo, Bale took responsibility.
Cristiano Ronaldo tends to Gareth Bale after the Welshman goes down injured - AFP
Further to that, the criticism he has endured for being greedy on the ball and failing to link up with his team-mates earlier in the season has had a telling impact on his performances he appears afraid to take the risky option. However, as an elite level footballer, he has to rise above all of that. Mental strength is as key an attribute as natural talent.
Alas, at the moment he appears unable to rise above his Ronaldo inferiority complex, press criticism or the whistles of the Bernabeu. Bale is insistent that he is happy in Madrid and does not want to move back to England but if he fails to get on top of what are increasingly looking like the footballing equivalent of the yips, then that decision may very well be taken out of his hands.
Source: http://www.eurosport.com/football/champions-league/2013-2014/could-anonymous-juventus-performance-hasten-gareth-bales-premier-league-return_sto4710080/story.shtml
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