Gareth Bale became Real Madrid’s second top-scorer for the
season on Saturday night but it is on Tuesday in Paris when he will discover
where he truly sits in the pecking order.
Real take a 3-1 advantage into their Champions League last
16 second leg against Paris Saint-Germain, with Bale not guaranteed to start
what is potentially a season-defining match for Los Blancos.
Adrift in La Liga and out of the cups, success for Real in
2017-18 now depends entirely on their exploits in Europe. Zinedine Zidane’s
future as coach may also be tied to them lifting the trophy in May.
It leaves the Frenchman with no room for error at the Parc
des Princes, where an absence of Bale would represent the surest indication yet
of a lack of trust when it matters most. Bale could hardly have done more in
Saturday’s 3-1 win over Getafe.
He opened the scoring, his eighth goal in 13 league starts
this season, and would have finished with two but for a bending shot nicking
the outside of the post. In the final rehearsal before PSG, he was brave, bold
and industrious.
It is no coincidence that this improved performance came
after Zidane deployed the Welshman in his more natural position of advanced
midfield, rather than the lone striker role he was mysteriously presented with
in last week’s dreary defeat to Espanyol.
Real were poor, and Bale spent much of the game with his
back to goal.
The suggestion is Zidane has doubts about Bale’s defensive
work against more dangerous opponents, a category that certainly includes PSG.
As the spots of Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portugese’s chief
provider Karim Benzema are now assured up front, playing Bale deeper carries
too high a risk.
The counter argument might go that a confident Bale,
enjoying the faith of his coach and his favoured position, is one of the
deadliest attackers in world, and the one Real paid a record 100 million euros
to sign from Tottenham in 2013.
After leaving Bale out of last month’s league game against
Leganes, Zidane offered what seemed a contradictory assessment of the player’s
importance.
“Bale is an important player in this squad and he always
will be,” Zidane said. “What interests me is the team and the squad, not just
thinking about one player.”
Bale’s recent years at Real have certainly been interrupted
by injury but on the pitch, the figures do not point to a player that has
struggled to live up to expectations.
The 28-year-old has scored 62 goals in 117 La Liga
appearances, which on Saturday took him past David Beckham as the division’s
most capped British player.
In 21 games this season, he has registered 10 goals and
three assists. Perhaps most importantly, he has played in nine consecutive Real
matches for the first time since April 2015. For now, Bale is fit and on
Saturday, he was in form. On Tuesday, Zidane must decide if he is ready to back
him.
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