The Real Champs
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Three takeaways as Real Madrid draw in Barcelona

By Hasan Karim

Real Madrid line uo (L-R) Thibaut Courtois, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos, Raphael Varane, Casemiro, Karim Benzema, Federico Valverde, Ferland Mendy, Gareth Bale, Daniel Carvajal, Isco during the Liga match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF at Camp Nou on October 26, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Real Madrid line uo (L-R) Thibaut Courtois, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos, Raphael Varane, Casemiro, Karim Benzema, Federico Valverde, Ferland Mendy, Gareth Bale, Daniel Carvajal, Isco during the Liga match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF at Camp Nou on October 26, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /
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Bale and Isco: Real’s forgotten men shine:

Real Madrid’s Welsh forward Gareth Bale (C) and Real Madrid’s Spanish midfielder Isco warm up before the “El Clasico” Spanish League football match between Barcelona FC and Real Madrid CF at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona on December 18, 2019. (Photo by JOSE JORDAN / AFP) (Photo by JOSE JORDAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Real Madrid’s Welsh forward Gareth Bale (C) and Real Madrid’s Spanish midfielder Isco warm up before the “El Clasico” Spanish League football match between Barcelona FC and Real Madrid CF at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona on December 18, 2019. (Photo by JOSE JORDAN / AFP) (Photo by JOSE JORDAN/AFP via Getty Images) /

There was a lot of debate about whether or not Zinedine Zidane should field the duo of Gareth Bale and Isco in this game. The Spanish international has shown poor form in the past couple of games, and Bale has also failed to shine in recent games.

Isco, for the most part, was brilliant. He linked the attack and midfield, played well in the half-spaces and created chances. He completed 3 dribbles and made two key passes, with his nutmeg back-heel pass on Pique to Benzema was a particular highlight. He looked visibly tired as the game approached the final thirty minutes, but it was a very good big-game performance from Isco.

Welsh international Gareth Bale also stepped up in this game. With quite a few fans clamouring for Vincius and Rodrygo to start, Bale probably knew he had to pull a performance out of the bag. Thankfully for him, he did. The former Spurs man had quite the challenging task – tracking Jordi Alba’s movements as well as making himself an outlet on the counter. Although he looked to struggle with the workload in the first half, he really stepped it up in the second.

Bale completed just the one dribble but he registered 2 key passes and showcased his defensive work, completing 2 interceptions and a tackle alongside his 3 aerial duels won. The Welshman also came close to scoring, hitting the side netting in the box and had a goal disallowed for a very close offside. This alongside a few decent crosses played in highlighted his productive evening – more of this from Bale could be extremely helpful for Real down the stretch.

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