MADRID: Zinedine Zidane insists he has no problem with Gareth Bale despite dropping the forward for Real Madrid’s win over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
Zidane also labelled praise given to him for the victory at Parc des Princes as “bullshit” because the Frenchman said criticism will soon return if his team’s form dips.
Real crushed PSG 5-2 on aggregate to book their spot in the Champions League quarter-finals but Bale was named as a substitute in both legs of the tie.
Overlooked for Real’s two biggest games of the season so far, the indication is Zidane does not trust Bale when it matters most.
But, asked what the Welshman lacks, Zidane said on Friday: “He does not lack anything, he’s in a team where there are a lot of players, and he’s doing well.
“With Gareth I have no problem, he’s a fundamental player for us, very important, and he’s going to play until the end of the season, like the rest.”
Bale became the most capped British player in La Liga history last weekend when he passed David Beckham´s 116 appearances in the Spanish top flight.
He has an impressive 62 goals too in that time but since returning from a calf injury in November, the 28-year-old has not been an automatic starter.
“It is not a problem, I speak to him,” Zidane said. “He knows where he is and that the others are important.”
Zidane´s own future appears more secure following Real´s triumph in Paris, which pushes the club one step closer to an unprecedented third consecutive Champions League success.
But PSG coach Unai Emery has come under the same sort of pressure Zidane has faced this season, when Real were dumped out of the Copa del Rey by Leganes and fell adrift of Barcelona in La Liga.
“I do not want to convince anyone, everyone has their opinion, even when I win again, again, and again, because it’s their opinion and I do not want to change that,” Zidane said.
“That´s life, not to win, to lose sometimes. So today I am a better tactician than Emery? What bullshit, in fact, what bullshit. For me this is the biggest mistake.
“But hey, we have to accept it because in a few weeks we will say that I am stupid and that the other coach, as he won the match, he is better. That’s the rule of the game.”
Real travel to Eibar on Saturday and the Ipurua Municipal Stadium, which has a capacity of just over 7,000, the smallest in La Liga.
Zidane´s side sit third, seven points behind Atletico Madrid and 15 back on Barca.
“We have had good and bad matches, but my message to the squad is that they will not let their arms down,” Zidane said.
“We will keep fighting until the end because in football everything can happen.”
Zinedine Zidane believes Gareth Bale is ‘fundamental’ to Real Madrid
Zinedine Zidane believes Gareth Bale is ‘fundamental’ to Real Madrid
Al-Qadsiah’s SPL match postponed as Damac clinch victory in relegation six-pointer
- Damac secure 3-0 victory against Al-Riyadh in Abha
- Al-Kholood vs. Al-Qadsiah postponed until March 7
DAMMAM: Much has changed since the conclusion of Matchday 24 in the Saudi Pro League last Saturday. Several nations across the Middle East have postponed their leagues indefinitely, with the war in the region even threatening West Asia’s participation across all levels of AFC competitions for the upcoming knockout stages.
The Saudi Pro League was one of the few to continue without pause, with Matchday 25 scheduled to kick off on Thursday as Damac welcomed Al-Riyadh and Al-Qadsiah travelled to Qassim to face Al-Kholood. Or, so Saudi Pro League fans thought.
Hours before Al-Kholood and Al-Qadsiah were set to kick off, the hosts announced that they had received a notification from the Saudi Pro League confirming their match was postponed Saturday, March 7, due to the cancellation of Al-Qadsiah’s flight to Qassim.
That meant that Thursday featured the sole encounter between Damac and Al-Riyadh, with Friday and Saturday set to host four matches each.
Both Damac and Al-Riyadh have endured difficult seasons. They two sides were level on 16 points prior before the meeting in Abha, and both had suffered similar 1-0 defeats to Al-Ahli in recent weeks — matches in which each felt unlucky not to come away with at least a point.
That said, it was Damac who controlled proceedings for most of the evening. Mauricio Dulac set the visitors up in their traditional 5-4-1, with Mamadou Sylla leading the line.
Damac, meanwhile, looked to break them down centrally, operating in a 4-3-1-2 that gave Valentín Vada freedom behind Yakou Méïté and Mohammad Al-Salkhadi. They were aided by Jonathan Okita’s dangerous runs from deep, which ultimately changed the course of the match.
After initial attempts to find the in-form Méïté in the air through a series of crosses, Damac shifted their focus to one of their other strengths: attacking through the middle.
A calculated long ball from Jamal Harkass found Okita breaking into the space in the Al-Riyadh defence, as the Congolese midfielder controlled the ball with a fine touch before firing past Milan Borjan in 35th minute.
Damac extended their dominance after the interval. In the 53rd minute, another Harkass long ball created danger — this time with Méïté holding the ball up before Al-Salkhadi threaded a pass through to Vada, who calmly finished to double the lead.
At the hour mark, Sanousi Al-Hawsawi effectively sealed the match as he met Abdulrahman Al-Obaid’s corner with a towering header, giving Damac a crucial victory and lifting them three points away from the relegation zone.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Friday, with Al-Hilal hosting Al-Najma, Al-Khaleej facing Al-Hazem, Al-Taawoun taking on Al-Fateh, and the Sea Derby between Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad kicking off at 10:00pm.
