Gareth Bale terrifies Roy Hodgson’s England side… just like Luis Suarez did in the World Cup
Wales superstar is a fully-fledged Galactico and it is down to captain-in-making Eric Dier in particular to rough him up
THE build-up has been all about one man: Gareth Frank Bale.
He is gaining mythical status in the game — a player with almost supernatural powers, a fully-fledged Galactico.
We have been here before. The sight of Luis Suarez in the tunnel at the 2014 World Cup turned England’s suspect defence to jelly.
He had scored 31 times for Liverpool in the Premier League that year and was good for a couple more when Uruguay arrived in Sao Paulo.
Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka — England’s first-choice central defensive pairing on that occasion — were terrified of him.
Suarez scored both of Uruguay’s goals in a 2-1 win, kicking England out of Brazil after just five days of the tournament.
Two years on and there are still too many choirboys in the set-up.
Will England’s players take it in turns to go looking for Bale, or will they allow him the freedom of Lens?
It is likely to be the latter.
Eric Dier will have to take charge in the boiler room, to take responsibility for sorting Bale out in England’s biggest game since the World Cup.
Someone has to rough him up. If not, the ball will soon burst the back of Joe Hart’s net at Stade Ballaert.
Wayne Rooney and Dier have both spoken about England becoming more streetwise at international level.
Tomorrow they need to be street fighters, too.
Special players have an aura, a Ready Brek glow that leaves the impression they can turn it on at will.
Bale, with his free-kick sparking Wales’ win against Slovakia on Saturday and his 20 international goals, is in that category now.
The Real Madrid forward looks and feels invincible.
He has the stature of a top player, and is the most successful Welsh footballing export since John Charles moved from Leeds to Juventus in 1957.
This week, Roy Hodgson’s players have been taking it in turns to remind English football what they have been missing since he left Tottenham.
Jack Wilshere, Adam Lallana and Ryan Bertrand know that England will be dealing with a world-class player.
They all claim there are no special plans to stop him. The reality, however, is that they have been working on a plan to send Bale wide, accepting that nobody in the England side can live with his pace.
Hodgson knows there is not a single defender, or midfielder, in the pack who can keep up with him.
In the air and down the left, he is virtually unstoppable.
For that reason they will show him right, hoping that Bale takes the bait and moves on to his weaker foot. But even that right foot is still a threat.
Bale has free reign for Wales under Chris Coleman.
It has worked for them, so they will not be changing that plan now, especially after their superb victory over Slovakia in the opening group game.
Wales are winning the PR battle as well, piling the pressure on England after their disappointing draw with Russia in Marseilles.
Bale stoked the fires by claiming England players get ahead of themselves before they have achieved anything.
If England can stop Bale, that would be something worth crowing about.
