Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has suggested Gareth Bale should not shoulder all of the blame for what looks set to be a disappointing end to the season for dethroned European champions Real Madrid.
Pochettino arrived as Spurs boss long after Bale had left for Spain in a world record £86 million move in the summer of 2013, but he offered a stout defence of the former Tottenham star's efforts with the Spanish giants at his latest press briefing.
After Bale was jeered by sections of the Bernabeu faithful during Wednesday night's Champions League defeat against Juventus and images of him being abused as he drove away from the ground emerged on social media sites, Pochettino suggested the Welshman was being subjected to unfair criticism for his performances.
"Gareth Bale is not the only player who is responsible for what happened to Real Madrid," Pochettino said. "I think Gareth Bale is a very good player but it's not easy to score 30 or 40 goals every season.
"It's difficult to analyse him because the expectation of Real Madrid is maybe different to at other clubs.
"Now Madrid can't win the league, the Champions League or the Copa del Rey so there are no chances to get a title this season and always when you spend the money like Real Madrid and you get to the end of the season with no title, it's difficult.
"You have in Real Madrid, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and a lot of big stars.
"Never is it easy to settle from the first moment.
"Gareth Bale is a player that needs to feel that the team plays for him. It's like Ronaldo or like [Lionel] Messi. They are a type of player that needs to feel the confidence, the trust and play in the way that they want to play. For that, sometimes it is not easy."
Pochettino has his own problems to concern himself with right now, as he looks to end Tottenham's season on a high after a poor run that has seen them win just one of their last six Premier League matches.
With their hopes of a top four finish and qualification for next season's Champions League now gone, Pochettino has insisted this campaign should not be remembered for the disappointments as he sought to highlight the progress that has been made as he rejected a claim that his side have become dull to watch.
"When we beat Arsenal 2-1 or when we beat Chelsea 5-3, I do not think we were boring," stated Pochettino. "You have to accept all opinion, but it does not affect our plan for the future.
"We need to be more consistent next season. This season we played very well in many, many games but we are not consistent. We need to keep our level the whole season. I believe because we didn't do that we missed out on the top four."
Tottenham will look to push for a place in next season's Europa League when they take on relegation-threatened Hull at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
"We are playing to stay in the top five or six and we need to get the three points," he added. "We need to believe that it is not only Hull playing for something important.
"Our motivation needs to be like them. They are playing for survival, we are playing to take a place in the Europa League. We need to be motivated in the same way."