BALE’S PACE SHAKER
Former Sprints of Wales has run into trouble
GARETH BALE knows he needs all the help he can get from his Wales team-mates as stats show the nation’s record scorer is slowing down.
Wales began their Group A campaign with a gutsy point against Switzerland thanks to Kieffer Moore’s late header.
But skipper Bale, who turns 32 next month, rarely looked like adding to his 33 international goals in his 93rd game for his country in Baku.
It is now 12 matches since he has scored for the Dragons.
And he was a peripheral figure against the Swiss as he completed just 17 of 26 passes, while more than half the Wales team ran quicker than him in the match.
Only Ben Davies (27.4km/h), Moore (25km/h) and Joe Morrell (24.7km/h) clocked a slower top speed than Bale (28.4km/h) among the side’s outfield starting XI.
It is a far cry from when the ‘Sprints of Wales’ scored in every group game five years ago as Wales ended up in the semifinals. This time around Wales’ task looks a lot harder with a game against Turkey in sweltering Baku tomorrow before finishing up in Rome against Italy.
But Bale insists there are positive comparisons to Wales’ 2016 heroes as the current squad is also similarly united and tight.
The Real Madrid star said: “Everyone knows what happened in 2016 but this is a new task and new challenge. We know it is going to be difficult.
“To reach another semi-final would be incredible but we really do have to take it one game at a time.
“It is one of those things you dream of as a kid, leading your country in a major tournament. It is probably one of the biggest accomplishments I am going to have.
“The most important thing is we perform as a team together.
“As long as we give 100 per cent on the pitch we can have no doubts after.
“We have always been known as having a good team spirit and good togetherness. It is similar to what it was before.
“We are going to make sure, especially us old players, that we are all working together and pushing in the same direction.
“We are doing as much as we can on the training field in the lead-up to prepare as best we can.
“We need to make sure we go out and give 100 per cent and perform to the best of our abilities.”