Real Madrid: Analyzing all the right-wing options for the 2021/22 season
Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale was pretty much uninterested in life at Madrid during the second half of the 2019/20 season, with injuries and off the field controversies taking a toll on him. He wasn’t a player Zidane wanted, and it looked like the impending divorce was finally happening, with Gareth returning to Tottenham on loan for a season. Many didn’t have a lot of expectations in him, but he had a fantastic season at Spurs, claiming 16 goals and 3 assists in 1667 minutes, which is an incredible return. And he might be staying at Real Madrid this season, to finish his contract and take a shot at new life under Carlo Ancelotti.
Gareth Bale isn’t the same monster he was once under Carlo Ancelotti, with age and injuries taking a toll on him. He isn’t that quick now, and sometimes it looks like he might injure himself with one hard sprint. But he is still a great player, something which he has proved at Tottenham and Wales.
This version of Bale isn’t an athletic one, but he is still a skilful and intelligent one. He still has a lethal left foot with which he can finish from any angle and release a player onto the goal with a beautiful pass. He’s a fantastic header of the ball and has an excellent footballing brain which helps him overachieve. He has some flashy skill moves with a smooth first touch that enables him to operate in tight spaces.
As my colleague Hridyam has explained, in LaLiga he might not be able to register the same numbers he produced in the Premier League due to lesser space to operate and the better standard of defending in LaLiga. But in my opinion, he might still be the best option to play on the right. And if we don’t sign Mbappe, the Welsh dragon might be the only goalscoring winger that we might have in the team.
Carlo Ancelotti would try to bring the best out of a 32-year-old Gareth Bale, who can be an aerial target, a creative influence as well as a lethal player on the break. He would love to have such a weapon available.
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That being said, Ancelotti also needs to be prepared for a Bale whose defensive contribution isn’t that great at this age, and a Bale whose fitness is never guaranteed. Ancelotti, along with Antonio Pintus, should be trying their best to make sure Real Madrid and the fans can witness the best version possible.