“Bale’s exit affected us. He had a problem because of a blow they gave him,” he said.
“They pressed well and we lacked depth. Bale took a blow and left the field with a strain. He couldn’t carry on.
“Modric gave everything, Modric had the flu but still gave us a lot of energy and everything he had.
“He made a great effort and had a great game, but he wasn’t able to keep up those energy levels for 90 minutes.
Real Madrid news: Bale was forced off at half time during the match (Image: GETTY)
Real Madrid news: Solari's side dropped two points at Villarreal (Image: GETTY)
“I’m grateful for what he gave us. The change was planned. There are other players that can play.”
Real Madrid are now seven points behind Barcelona who lead the way at the summit.
And Solari hinted he was frustrated at his side’s inability to kill the game off.
“We had the win in our hands and had to kill the game off, but then they pressed and scored the equaliser,” he added.
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