MX23RW : Wednesday, January 15 05:12:13| >> :600:2393997:2393997:

Robert Page: 'Gareth Bale is the fittest I've seen him'

Robert Page: 'Gareth Bale is the fittest I've seen him'
© Reuters
Wales are top of their Nations League group, one point clear of second-placed Finland with two games to play.

Caretaker manager Robert Page says Wales' ambition to win games is no different to clubs after Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho expressed concern over Gareth Bale's workload during the international break.

Wales meet the Republic of Ireland in Cardiff on Sunday one point clear of second-placed Finland in Nations League Group B4.

Their final match is at home to Finland on Wednesday and Bale – who Page says is "probably the fittest I've seen him" – is expected to start both games with Wales seeking promotion to League A.

Wales Training Session – The Vale Resort
Wales caretaker boss Robert Page says Gareth Bale is as fit as he has seen him (Nick Potts/PA)

But Mourinho warned Wales last week to tread carefully with Bale's fitness following a recent knee injury, saying "we don't want to destroy the work everybody is doing for the last couple of months."

Page, standing in for absent Wales manager Ryan Giggs, said: "We've all got a job to do, we all want to win games of football.

"Of course we're sympathetic to the club managers and the demands put on them with the current situation with Covid.

"I've been a club manager myself and know the demands and, from a selfish point of view, you want your players to be fit every week.

Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United – Premier League – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho expressed concerns over Gareth Bale's Wales workload ahead of the international break (Clive Rose/PA)

"No different from us when we're on camp. We've got two big games and we want our squad and our players to be ready for that challenge.

"We've had a plan for all the players to get them in the best physical and mental place that we can to give them the best chance to win the game. That's what we've done all week."

Bale was rested for Thursday's 0-0 friendly draw against the United States in Swansea.

But he has taken a full part in training this week and Page, who joined Giggs' backroom staff in August 2019, gave a ringing endorsement of the Spurs striker's fitness levels.

"He's been brilliant all week," Page said.

"He's probably the fittest I've seen him since I've been involved with Ryan and the first team. He's looking in great shape."

Asked whether Bale could play two full games in the space of just over 72 hours, Page said: "The most important game for us is tomorrow and we can only take one game at a time.

"It was always part of the plan to pick a 23 that would compete and take a lot of positives out of the USA game, which we did and we've ticked that box.

"It's full focus on the Republic of Ireland now and we can't even look forward to Finland.

Wales Training Session – The Vale Resort – Saturday November 14th
Gareth Bale pictured during a Wales training session ahead of Sunday's Nations League game against the Republic of Ireland (Nick Potts/PA)

"Let's get people the minutes they need and we're going to pick the team that's going to give us the best chance to win a game of football."

Page says he has a fully-fit squad at his disposal as Wales and the Republic meet for the sixth time in just over three and a half years.

The two sides drew 0-0 in Dublin last month and have often cancelled each other out in recent times.

"To keep a clean sheet again against the US was fantastic and we kept the momentum ahead of these two games," Page said.

"We've got two tough games now, two big games for us. We're going to give everything to the cause and the rewards are there at the end of it."

ID:422279: cacheID:422279:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:9175:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Wales manager Ryan Giggs pictured in September 2020
Read Next:
Robert Earnshaw confident Ryan Giggs absence will not affect Wales
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool20145148202847
2Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest21125430201041
3Arsenal20117239182140
4Chelsea21107441261537
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle20105534221235
6Manchester CityMan City2110563829935
7Bournemouth219753225734
8Aston Villa209563032-232
9Fulham217953230230
10Brentford218494037328
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2061043029128
12West Ham UnitedWest Ham217592741-1426
13Tottenham HotspurSpurs20731042301224
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd206592328-523
15Crystal Palace204972128-721
16Everton193881525-1017
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2044123145-1416
18Ipswich TownIpswich2037102035-1516
19Leicester CityLeicester2035122344-2114
20Southampton2013161244-326


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!