Bale: We’re Belgium’s bogey side
Gareth Bale’s response to the question of what social plans he may miss out on if Wales stay any longer in France spoke volumes for the mentality he brings to this side, something just as important as his ability.
‘I planned everything for after the final, I was the clever one in the group,’ he said, smiling at the diary clashes suffered by some of his team-mates.
Chris Gunter is set to miss his brother’s wedding should Wales make it past Belgium into the last four, while Neil taylor can’t use tickets that he bought for his wife’s birthday to see Beyonce in Cardiff tonight.
In fairness, there are mitigating factors — Gunter could not dictate to his future sister-inlaw, taylor simply did not pay attention to the date — but Bale’s approach is symptomatic of his attitude all along.
Despite the odds, the aim for Wales is to win.
the same sentiment was evident as he addressed the possibility of an open- top bus parade in Cardiff should beating Belgium prove too great a challenge; a nice vision, but not yet. the glorious opportunity ahead is the focus instead.
‘We know we have done well and the country is proud of us even if we do get knocked out,’ Bale said. ‘But we want to keep going, we want to keep riding this wave. We want to go as far as we can and try to win the tournament.
‘We understand the position we are in and everything else goes to the back of our minds.
‘ It is all about trying to beat Belgium and getting to the semis.’ to that end, Bale struck a confident tone — understandable given his personal history with tomorrow’s opponents.
In qualifying, Wales claimed four points from Marc Wilmots’ side and kept two clean sheets. While Belgium dominated possession, they failed to create any serious chances in 180 minutes of action, with Wales producing two perfect defensive displays.
Chris Coleman’s team are unbeaten in three games against Belgium, dating back to October 2013, when a weakened side did well to draw 1-1 in Brussels, and Bale believes history can creep into the minds of eden hazard and his team-mates. ‘We are like their bogey team, aren’t we?’ said Bale, happy to engage in more verbal jousting after his england barbs before the group game. ‘hopefully that edge gets into their heads — you never know. We understand we’ve had good results against them but they are a top team. It’s about the night.
‘We will definitely draw on the games from qualifying, it gives us more knowledge on them. We know how to play against them.
‘ It will be a different game from the qualifiers.
‘It is a more pressurised situation, but we understand what they are about and how they work. We will hone our gameplan to try to stop them, but help our attack.’
that worked at the Cardiff City stadium 13 months ago, when Bale took advantage of a mistake by radja Nainggolan to score the winner. ‘It was definitely a changing moment for us as a team,’ he said. ‘to know we can beat the big teams gives you extra confidence and takes you to another level.
‘We are still feeding off that now. that was my most important Wales goal, for sure.’
Bale called tomorrow night’s fixture in lille the ‘biggest’ in Welsh football history and revealed how Coleman’s management will prepare them suitably.
‘he is very important for us. he has that bit of banter but you know when it comes to the hard work he will give you a rollocking if he has to,’ said Bale.
‘he has never dished out anything massive.
‘ We are a good team and we generally listen and work well. But there have been half-time team talks where he has had to stick the boot in to get it the right way.’
Perhaps the cookie milkshake Bale enjoyed from a bar in Dinard town centre during a walkabout on tuesday was in tribute to his manager — nicknamed Cookie — but whatever, it illustrated the relaxed approach this group have taken from the off.
Bale said he was ‘very happy’ that england’s exit means Wales are the last remaining British team in the tournament.
‘It’s our time to shine,’ he added. ‘We are the only home nation left in the competition, which is an amazing achievement in itself.
‘ We’ll be proud to fly the flag of Wales. this is one we’re looking forward to, we’re eager to get started.
‘We just want to enjoy the occasion, take it all in, and hopefully we can get into the semis.’
asked what motivates him to continue performing, Bale showed he knows how to push the fans’ buttons. ‘the dragon on my shirt, that’s all I need,’ he said.