Chris Coleman feels Real Madrid's players are ignoring Gareth Bale
Posted Wednesday, May 27, 2015 by skysports.com
Chris Coleman: The Wales head coach was sticking up for his star player.
Wales manager Chris Coleman has accused Real Madrid's players of ignoring Gareth Bale on the pitch.
Coleman's comments echoed those of Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, who claimed earlier this month that his client's career is suffering in Madrid because his team-mates "do not pass the ball to him".
Bale has endured a tough second season in the Spanish capital as he has become a scapegoat for Real fans and media searching for someone to blame for the club’s trophyless season which resulted in the sacking of manager Carlo Ancelotti on Monday.
"I watch all of Gareth's games and I can tell you as a manager you do not look at just one player," Coleman said.
"But there is so much focus on him that if he makes one mistake it is a big deal. If he fails to find Cristiano Ronaldo with a pass and Ronaldo reacts and makes a gesture it gets blown up.
"I have watched many games where Ronaldo has been poor, Isco has been poor. They paid a lot of money for James Rodriguez and there is not a lot coming from there, but it is Gareth who is getting it."
Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo: The duo have struggled to build a rapport on the pitch.
Bale acquired hero status in Madrid last season when he scored winners in the Copa del Rey and Champions League finals and scored 22 goals following his world record £85.3million move from Tottenham.
The 25-year-old has scored 17 times for Madrid this term with 10 assists and those figures are not too dissimilar to Chelsea's Eden Hazard, who was named the Barclays Premier League player of the year.
But Bale was castigated for his performance in Real's Champions League semi-final defeat to Juventus, criticism which has frustrated and angered Coleman.
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"He was heavily criticised after that first leg but I am seeing him in great positions and not receiving the ball from certain players," Coleman said.
"My assistant Osian (Roberts) called me up and I told him 'I know what you are going to say, they are not giving him the ball'.
"It wasn't Carlo Ancelotti's fault, it is down to the players on the pitch and it looked to me like he was being overlooked.
"You can only do what you do best. With us when he is good positions we make sure we give it to him, in Madrid I did not see that and it was not because he was not working hard.
"I am not saying it was just Ronaldo, but offensively I look at Madrid and wonder why he is not getting the ball.
"That Madrid team towards the end of the season looked disjointed and did not seem to have that togetherness, and Gareth has suffered for that."
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