‘Not many’ – Mourinho aims dig at Gareth Bale from their time at Spurs

Jose Mourinho has aimed a dig at Gareth Bale while giving his prediction for the European Championships this summer, suggesting that the Welshman did not play well in big matches last season.

Bale did not get much game time in the Premier League in the first half of the season but the forward showed in the final few months of the campaign that he remains a potent threat in the final third.

While the Welshman did force himself into the starting eleven for a brief period under Mourinho, he found himself back on the bench following Spurs’ North London Derby loss in March.

Bale and Mourinho did have some issues through the season, with the Portuguese coach even accusing the Welshman of lying in one of his social media posts.

After Mourinho’s sacking, Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett took a dig at the former Spurs boss for not giving the forward enough opportunities, hinting that his methods are out of touch with modern football.

It looks as though the 58-year-old has now shot back, suggesting while previewing Wales’ chances in the Euros that Bale did not play well in the tough games.

Mourinho wrote in his column for The Sun: “Over the years Wales have relied a lot on Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, the two most talented players in the country.

“But when I look to the club season and how many matches Ramsey played at Juventus… there were lots of injuries.

“When we look to Gareth and how many great performances he had, how many goals he scored against the best teams, there were not many or none.

“It’s not an easy situation for a country without many options.”

Spurs Web Opinion 

It is unfair of Jose to suggest that Bale did not turn up in big matches. While the Welshman was poor in the North London derby, so were the rest of the team. Apart from that game, Mourinho tended to bench Bale in favour of Bergwijn or Moura because of their willingness to work harder while running back.

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