After a week off of answering the same questions about the same players, everything returned to normal at Zinedine Zidane's most recent press conference. The main topic of conversation, despite the club being top of LaLiga, is a man who hasn't even played since the beginning of January: Gareth Bale. "Yes, Gareth is here and we're happy with all the players we've got. With the 25 players here, I need to name a squad list for a match and nothing else. There isn't a problem (with him), he's going to keep working hard and we'll keep counting on him," responded 'Zizou'.
The topic of Bale leaving the stadium was also brought up by the usual suspects. This time he arrived after the match had started. "I don't think it's a lack of respect towards his teammates if he arrives late. He wants to be here, wants to train and fight for his place. The fact he hasn't been in the last few squads doesn't mean anything. What happens internally will remain internal and I'll count on him until the end."
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Turning attention to the usual target Bale is a nice way to avoid questioning Real Madrid's below-par performance in the Copa del Rey which ended their optimistic hopes of claiming a treble this season.