After a stumbling start to the Primera Liga, Real Madrid are looking around the dressing room for someone who can stand up and be the leader through this tough time. With Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly showing signs of unhappiness, the man to lead the charge could be Welsh international Gareth Bale, who came on to play in attack against Levante.
Goal scoring could well be a problem for Real Madrid in the next few weeks, with Karim Benzema injured and no replacement bought for the departing Alvaro Morata. Against Levante, in a game which Madrid disappointingly drew 1-1, they turned to Bale to provide some spark and give them the lift they needed. Bale came on and had chances, but showed his rustiness by missing them all, including a headed chance right at the end which would’ve won the game for his club and given them a vital three points.
In the long term, it is expected that Real Madrid will go out and buy a striker in January when the window opens back up, but in the short term, we will see Gareth Bale used as a striker. This gives Bale a unique opportunity to lead the team and put his name on the scoresheet as often as possible. Bale is certainly capable of doing this – he has 68 career goals for Real Madrid – with more chances set to fall his way each game if he plays as a forward.
What Bale needs to do over the next few weeks is take those chances and prove that he can be versatile, playing in any role and doing what is best to help the team out. This has even more importance thanks to the start that Madrid have had, winning just one of their opening three games and drawing the other two. They have struggled to put chances away and kill teams off, giving Bale a great chance to be seen as the saviour and the hero.
After their below par start, Real Madrid have gone from odds-on favourites to win the Primera Liga title to joint-favourites with Barcelona in the latest football betting. Many believed that when Neymar Jr left Barcelona, Madrid would be in prime position to lift the league title, but that has since changed thanks to the problems Madrid currently have.
What Real Madrid could really do with right now is for someone to step up, be the hero and take them through this difficult stage. This situation doesn’t happen too often in Madrid, and how they react to it is often something the football world watches. However, they do have a lot of star players, who are all capable, and Gareth Bale looks like being the one they turn to in their search for a leader.
Expect to see Gareth Bale start in attack next game, and if he takes the chances he has then over the next few weeks he is going to have the chance to lead this team through their rough patch.