Gareth Bale bore the brunt of the Bernabeu’s frustration as Barcelona inflicted a second damaging defeat on Real Madrid in the space of four days, writes Michael Hincks.
It has been a week to forget for Real, and one that may yet have repercussions for manager Santiago Solari.
The prospect of a Clasico double header at the Bernabeu presented as much promise as it did gloom, but it is the latter which has been cast over Real after two defeats against their greatest rivals.
Bale had been brought into the starting XI to correct Wednesday’s wrongs alongside Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr, who were both guilty of missed opportunities in the first Clasico, but it did not go to plan.
Vinicius and Benzema still offered some attacking threat on Saturday, but Bale was virtually non-existent, touching the ball just 20 times – fewer than both goalkeepers – before he was hauled off on the hour-mark for Marco Asensio.
Bale was jeered by the home crowd as he was replaced, compounding what has been a tumultuous spell for the Welshman, who grabbed the headlines last week after refusing to celebrate his winner at Levante – shunning the advances of Lucas Vazquez in the process.
The supposed unrest has been posed to Solari in numerous press conferences, who insisted Bale was “ecstatic” in the dressing room after his winner, while corners of the Spanish press have not held back on Bale, claiming the forward has a “disgraceful attitude” and showed “impertinence and arrogance”.
His latest performance will have done little to prove his doubters wrong, and will only fuel the rumours further that a summer move beckons for the 29-year-old.
However, while he received the majority of the Bernabeu’s vocal frustration, Real will know their faults do not lie with one man.