On Wednesday, Real Madrid lost their second La Liga game in a week, and Liverpool legend John Toshack has blamed Gareth Bale for the defeat, arguing that the attacker's decision to leave the field for a boot change at a crucial period of the game led inexorably to Sevilla's winning goal.
With the game delicately poised at 1-1, Bale decided to leave the pitch to change his boots.
Sevilla quickly seized the opportunity to exploit the space on the left side of the field, and launched a counter-attack, which ended with LFC target Ivan Rakitic setting up Carlos Bacca for the winning goal.
After the game, Toshack - who managed Los Blancos for a year in the 1990s - blasted Bale's fatal decision. He told Spanish newspaper Marca:
"Bale leaving the pitch to change his boots is criminal; the coach should give him the silent treatment for a month. That would never happen at Liverpool, the club I grew up at. It would be simply inconceivable"
The defeat could be potentially fatal for Madrid. They're now third in the La Liga, three points behind Atletico, and two points behind Barcelona, who will probably now go on to win the league.
Having players off the pitch at crucial moments of the game can often lead to problems: just ask Ole Gunnar Solskjaer! During the Reds' recent 6-3 victory over Cardiff, two of his players were off the pitch receiving treatment when Martin Skrtel capitalised and scored Liverpool's third goal.
At this stage of the season, the margins are so fine that a single mistake can lead to league titles being won and lost. Take the Sunderland game, for example. In the closing stages, Liverpool's defenders switched off (again), and presented John O'Shea with a free header, from which he should've scored. Luckily, the ex-Man United star fluffed the chance, but if he had scored, Liverpool's title chances would be in tatters right now.
On a separate note: in the video above, check out the amazing piece of skill from Rakitic in the lead up to the goal. What a signing he would be for LFC...
Author: Jaimie K
With the game delicately poised at 1-1, Bale decided to leave the pitch to change his boots.
Sevilla quickly seized the opportunity to exploit the space on the left side of the field, and launched a counter-attack, which ended with LFC target Ivan Rakitic setting up Carlos Bacca for the winning goal.
After the game, Toshack - who managed Los Blancos for a year in the 1990s - blasted Bale's fatal decision. He told Spanish newspaper Marca:
"Bale leaving the pitch to change his boots is criminal; the coach should give him the silent treatment for a month. That would never happen at Liverpool, the club I grew up at. It would be simply inconceivable"
The defeat could be potentially fatal for Madrid. They're now third in the La Liga, three points behind Atletico, and two points behind Barcelona, who will probably now go on to win the league.
Having players off the pitch at crucial moments of the game can often lead to problems: just ask Ole Gunnar Solskjaer! During the Reds' recent 6-3 victory over Cardiff, two of his players were off the pitch receiving treatment when Martin Skrtel capitalised and scored Liverpool's third goal.
At this stage of the season, the margins are so fine that a single mistake can lead to league titles being won and lost. Take the Sunderland game, for example. In the closing stages, Liverpool's defenders switched off (again), and presented John O'Shea with a free header, from which he should've scored. Luckily, the ex-Man United star fluffed the chance, but if he had scored, Liverpool's title chances would be in tatters right now.
On a separate note: in the video above, check out the amazing piece of skill from Rakitic in the lead up to the goal. What a signing he would be for LFC...
Author: Jaimie K
Cardiff have nobody to blame but themselves. The 2 players who were off the pitch needed physio treatment because the little loves had been hit by a football! Could you imagine Shanks' reaction to that?!
ReplyDeleteGod Bale is a pancy...
ReplyDeleteI would love to have Rakitic...if we're going to drop a lot of dough on one player this summer, it ought to be him. Critical moments of a game are only critical if a player takes advantage and makes it a critical moment. It takes skill to be sure, but it also takes leadership and I think that's what Rakitic offers even over his considerable skills. It's not easy to picked as a team captain on a foreign team..especially in Spain...but Rakitic fills that role for Sevilla.
ReplyDeleteRakitic is one player we should be trying very hard to sign. An absolute class midfielder who would add so much to our team.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely criminal from Real Madrid. They were certain favourites to win the La Liga a few days ago, and now they're crumbling.
ReplyDeleteII want athletico Madrid to win the la liga.
ReplyDeleteLiverpoolfc to win BPL.
I would rather see Real Madrid finishing 2 or 3 place.
The two underdogs will win their respective league.
You heard it here first.
Jamie what do you think about LFC chances?
Many footballers are!
ReplyDeleteOne thing is for sure, Spurs would love to have Bale back though. They spent all the money they got from his sale and have gone backwards.
Liverpool will win the league. I'm sure of it.
ReplyDeleteOh that first touch from Rakitic was gorgeous!! He's probably added another 6m to his vale based on that touch alone. As a poll, what do people here think our chances of getting him. I'd say about 40%, he will be expensive though but sevilla are not pulling up any trees in la liga so we have a good chance.
ReplyDeleteLike F will Barca win the league. It's Atletico's now. The people's club.
ReplyDeleteHAHA Good for you JK!
ReplyDeletePfffft...do you mean to say that Barca fans aren't people? Real fans? Any other fans of any other club? What a ridiculous, faux populist, bunch of baloney.
ReplyDeleteFurther proof that what FSG did with Suarez was absolutely the right move.
ReplyDeleteSure, we could have sold him and spent the money on a few players.
But at the end of the day, teams typically don't improve when their best player leaves. It's that simple.
I hate to say I told everyone so but truth is I don't hate it and I did. Lot's of people talked of how Spurs would be much better than us this year after the money they spent. To me it was simple, they lose their top scorer in a team that didn't score lots of goals when that scorer was scoring from ridiculous angles and distances and they were almost all very important. It's fair to say you will miss that player. Add to that that signing lot's of players from teams outside the league (even inside) would have difficulties adjusting and mixing together. All this has been true and lead to the (harsh) sacking of AVB. Now they will be without Champo once more.
ReplyDeleteIt's true though.
ReplyDeleteAnd they're being currently managed by an Arsenal fan! Oh the irony!
ReplyDeleteYeah, everyone was polishing Daniel Levy's bald head claiming that Spurs made the best signings in the 2013 summer window and were going to challenge for the title but instead made a complete muck up by singing an almost new starting eleven and what seems to me overpaid massively on Soldado and Lamela.
ReplyDeleteAnd now they have a manager who will not last beyond next season. Struggles ahead for them.
They're not though...
ReplyDeleteLove u JK for ur confidence and that reply :)
ReplyDeleteIt certainly made my day :)
I'll take your word for it I gave up 30 seconds into the 60 second advert. ....
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't even deserve the first name God.
ReplyDeleteAs I predicted, most of us have ignored the article and starting drooling over the footage of Rakitic.
ReplyDelete7 games left, still well in the title race, people still doubting defence. Surely, just surely we can keep outscoring opponents for 7 more games!
ReplyDeleteonly thing embarassing was you calling for hodgson to stay with your red tinted specs on
ReplyDeleteYes, of course we will!!!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIVy5XdQhOM
Hodgson was a waste of space he used to talk about clubs like manure as if their were bigger than the mighty reds. He also set up the team to drop off and defend and brought Konchesky and Polsen to the club! He was taking us backwards good riddance.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
ReplyDeletei know but i can still wish. the carousel of coaches should destabilize the team but the way they move players in and out probably negates that lack of consistency.
ReplyDeletei truly hate chelski. i have said it before and will say it again i would celebrate a demotion of them as much as a title for us.
very well said and dead on
ReplyDeleteHaha! Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving it. I hope he hangs around long enough to squander this rumoured £200m in the summer. Long may the turmoil continue!!
ReplyDeleteLiverpool definitely need to bring in an athletic type def mid and need to look at clearing out a few players who are injury prone.
ReplyDeleteWatch the Chelsea game particularly and tell me we dont need another strong mid there somewhere.
You cannot expect to compete on all fronts esp C.L without lots of depth or you need sound players.
Moyes isn't going anywhere and United fans can just suffer him at least until the end of next season. You'd think it was the end of the world the way some of them talk but then some football fans are like that. They talk like they are entitled to win the league, I hope a couple of seasons outside the top 4 will bring them down to earth.
ReplyDelete