Euro 2020: ‘Need to be realistic, it's a different team and tournament,’ says Gareth Bale

Wales will go into Euro without their beleaguered boss Ryan Giggs putting the spotlight on Gareth Balersquos bid to silence critics who say he has lost his appetite for successGiggsrsquo absence following his arrest on charges of assaulting two women last year will cast a shadow over Wales during the EuroThe former Manchester United star faces a trial in 2022 after being accused of butting his exgirlfriend Kate Greville and controlling her throughout their relationshipRyan GiggsGiggs is also charged with the common assault of Grevillersquos sister Emma in the same incident Giggs 47 had taken charge of Wales in 2018 and made a positive impression as he led them to the European Championship But Giggs has been on leave since November last year with caretaker boss Robert Page stepping into the breach Page has won four of his six games since replacing GiggsInconsistent showIf Wales are to thrive in Giggsrsquos absence the onus is on Bale to prove his erratic loan spell with Tottenham Hotspur this season was not further evidence that his love for the game is dwindling Although he scored 16 goals Bale was unable to make a consistent impact on his return to Tottenham despite the hope that escaping his miserable time at Real Madrid would reinvigorate the Wales captainHampered by fitness issues and a frosty relationship with Jose Mourinho before his sacking Bale hardly disproved the theory he no longer has the drive required to dominate at the highest levelNo quittingIt was also suggested that Bale could quit football altogether and try his hand at professional golf a claim rejected by his agent Jonathan Barnett After their fairytale run to the Euro 2016 semifinals Wales will need Bale at his best to get anywhere near repeating that success ldquoWersquod love to replicate what we did at Euro 2016 but we are realistic Itrsquos a different team a different tournamentrdquo Bale said Wales kick off against Switzerland on June 12 with games against Turkey and Italy rounding off their group tiesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever