Bale's message and where next?

The Independent’s football newsletter [View in browser]( [The Independent]( March 25, 2022 [The Independent]( Reading the Game Written by Lawrence Ostlere   Message for the critics and is Ten Hag right for Manchester United?   Bale sends a message to his critics After his two-goal performance last night sent Wales through to the World Cup play-off finals, [Gareth Bale]( insisted he didn't need to send a message to his critics in Spain, before sending a pretty clear message to his critics in Spain." It's disgusting and they should all be ashamed of themselves," Bale said. "I'm not fussed. End of." After first bending in a pin-point free-kick which erupted the Cardiff City Stadium and then swivelling in the box to add a second which killed off Austria, Bale celebrated vehemently, grabbed the crest on his shirt, while beating his chest, before howling inaudibly into the night sky. Perhaps he was quite fussed after all. That is harsh, even if it might contain a kernel of truth Bale's emotion was understandable. In the build-up one Marca journalist had labelled him "a parasite" after he was unavailable for the weekend's Clasico (which Madrid lost) due to "some niggles", before appearing in the Wales camp for full training two days' later. He has managed to play five games for Wales this season but only six for Madrid, and has scored more goals for his country (five) than his club (two) since the start of 2020. His critics argue the old mantra of 'Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order' is simply proving itself true. It is worth noting Bale never said those words, but his light-hearted celebrations behind a Wales flag bearing the phase in 2019 did not translate well in the Spanish capital.So the headlines on Friday morning were predictably scathing. "Ya Le Bale," wrote AS under an image of the Wales captain celebrating, a pun essentially meaning "Oh, now it matters". Perhaps that is harsh but it might also contain a kernel of truth. This game really did matter to Bale. Wales are now only one game away from their first World Cup since 1958, in what may be the last chance for this talented generation – Bale is 33 this summer and Aaron Ramsey is 31. As Ramsey explained: "It means everything. Playing in front of these fans, what more could you want? We are one game away from the World Cup which is everything for myself, Bale, for the nation and for the group of lads. This is what we want." Bale added another revealing line. “I had some cramp at the end, which I guess is normal, but I’ll run into the ground for this country.” Where next? If it wasn't already, Bale's relationship with the Spanish press is well past the point of repair. He is almost certain to leave Madrid this summer when his contract expires. He has been linked with a return to Tottenham, although his loan back there last year was something of a rollercoaster ride, with a hat-trick against Burnley the highlight amid some more peripheral performances and, ultimately, a lack of consistent match minutes through fitness issues. Whether the famously demanding Antonio Conte would want to recruit a player towards the back of his career is unclear.Newcastle is another plausible option, with the resources to meet Bale's wage demands and the space in the squad to let him take centre stage. There will be plenty of suitors for a free agent with this much talent, and another nation-bearing performance in the play-off final, against either Scotland or Ukraine in June, will do his negotiating power no harm. Is Ten Hag right for Manchester United? Gary Neville ran a poll on his Twitter account this week asking Manchester United fans who they would prefer as manager next season between the two frontrunners for the role, Erik Ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino. Admittedly it was not Ipsos Mori research but Neville's poll could be reasonably considered a fair bellwether of the fanbase, with nearly 220,000 responses, and the result was overwhelmingly in Ten Hag's favour with 82 per cent of the vote. There may be some recency bias in there amid Pochettino's well-documented struggles at Paris Saint-Germain and their tepid exit from the Champions League. Yet it shows just how high the stock of the 52-year-old Dutchman has risen and suggests there would be real excitement back at Old Trafford should he be appointed. You can bet whoever is in charge of the club's infamous "fan sentiment graphs" has taken note. Would Ten Hag fit? United have tried enough managers in recent years to conclude their problems are more deeply ingrained than simply the man picking the team, but they still need an elite coach to compete with Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola. Ten Hag has been successful in Dutch football, winning two league and cup doubles with Ajax and leading them to the Champions League semi-finals. Having been schooled under Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich, his tactical acumen is clear. What remains to be seen is how he would cope with a dressing room evidently weighed down by ego, and whether he would flourish in a club still finding the right background structure.   Top stories [FA provide free bus travel for Liverpool and Man City fans after semi-final backlash]( [West Ham donate Kurt Zouma’s fine for kicking pet cat to animal charities](   Dispatches Heartache for Italy and this time it’s not coming Rome after the ultimate humiliation of a 1-0 World Cup play-off defeat at home to North Macedonia. Despite instinct, some connected to England will have little to cheer, even if one major contender to lift the Jules Rimet Trophy at Qatar 2022 has been cleared. Instead, minds drift to last summer’s Euro 2020 final defeat and what might have been. A home final for a first major piece of silverware since 1966, slipped away against what will forever be known as this Italy. An Italy capable of the spectacular but ultimately deeply flawed after a second consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup, sandwiching that fateful night for the Three Lions at Wembley. And while last night was a shock, there was a nervous tension in Sicily lingering for far too long as the Azzurri probed against their inferior opposition. Then the inevitable happened, leaving utter despair in the Italy camp after an Aleksandar Trajkovski thunderbolt in stoppage time condemned Roberto Mancini to the most sobering of comedowns in recent memory. "Destroyed and crushed," remarked Giorgio Chiellini afterwards. Italian newspaper Tuttosport describing the moment as a "Blue Nightmare", while Corriere dello Sport’s headline added "To Hell”. Less than nine months ago Italy had spoiled the Wembley party, agony for England after penalties. And if Gareth Southgate and everybody watching didn’t already know the Three Lions had spurned a glorious opportunity, they do now. Italy’s fluctuating form over many years, even if they did put together a 37-game unbeaten streak, further intensifies England’s regret, though it may fuel motivation to seize redemption later this year too. Their pain should also shine a light on Southgate’s ability to cruise through qualification, something that has routinely been under-appreciated.   Quote of the day "You’re not really asking me that, are you? The more World Series we win, the more valuable a franchise it is, right?" A line from prospective Chelsea buyer Todd Boehly, discussing his trophies-led attitude to owning the La Dodgers, has got Blues fans optimistic about his potential ownership of the club   Reading the game quiz Seven players have played for both Real Madrid and Tottenham, including Gareth Bale. Who are the other six? (loan deals are permitted) (Last week's answers: Hierro, Suker, Anelka, Morientes, Owen, Van Nistelrooy, Baptista, Robben, Higuain, Ronaldo, James, Bale, Di Maria, Varane, Ozil)   [Refugees Welcome](   Essential reading [Liverpool’s ‘Heroes’ NFT collection risks turning owners into villains](   [Chelsea Supporters’ Trust reiterates concern over Ricketts family bid for club](   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's football newsletter. 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