Gareth Bale must deliver for Real Madrid
By Ryan Plant
When Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juventus, many fans presumed a Neymar-shaped Galáctico would be signed by president Florentino Pérez to replace him. Instead, manager Julen Lopetegui has been left with a tired-looking forward line, leading to a club-record goal drought of 482 minutes.
Marcelo’s powerful shot against Levante proved to be a consolation as Lopetegui’s side crashed to a 2-1 defeat, leaving Los Blancos seventh in the La Liga table and winless in five straight games.
Under Zinedine Zidane, Real never failed to score in consecutive matches and enjoyed a 73-match scoring streak between April 2016 and September 2017.
It is worth noting that Ronaldo scored only one league goal in the first nine league games of last season, but Zidane’s outfit still netted 18, five more than this campaign.
14 points from a possible 27 makes this the worst start to a season at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium since the 2001-02 season. The 1-0 loss against CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League also leaves Group G in the balance.
Forward Gareth Bale was trusted by Pérez as Lopetegui’s talisman this season, and was, in the eyes of many, signed from Tottenham Hotspur back in 2013 with the possible departure of Ronaldo in mind. Now, with the Portuguese star gone, he must step up and become La Liga’s top player, with Lionel Messi injured.
He started well, with three goals in the opening three matchdays, against Getafe, Leganés, and Girona, and he assisted Isco’s header against Athletic Club. However, after sitting out against CSKA, RCD Espanyol, and international duty with Wales, he has been a shadow of the player he was in August with muscular injuries always at the forefront.
So far, Pérez’s choice to not directly replace Ronaldo has not been justified – the fact that it was Marcelo who ended the goal drought speaks volumes.
The statistics this season show that the Welshman has not done enough to replace Ronaldo. He has had fewer shots per game (4.1) than Ronaldo did last season (6.6) and has completed fewer key passes, with 0.6 compared to 1.6.
Alarmingly, he has completed fewer dribbles per 90 minutes so far, with 0.9, than he did last season and in the 2015-16 campaign, arguably his best since moving to the Spanish capital.
Is it true that Bale’s main strengths are dwindling?
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As a unit, Lopetegui’s side looks much worse defensively. There seems to be no desire to win the ball back quickly, and poor, sloppy goals are being conceded – 89 percent have been in the first half in La Liga, which points to a lack of concentration.
Most football zealots argue that the forwards are the first line of defence, and Bale’s defensive prowess has worsened – he has made less tackles per 90 (0.3) than he did last season (0.7), and has made fewer interceptions (0.3) than he did last campaign (0.5), as well as in 2015-16 (0.9).
When Viktoria Plzeň visit the Bernabéu in matchday three of the Champions League, Bale will be hoping to end his goal drought and fire his side to victory before preparing for El Clásico on Sunday.