It is no longer news that the world's most expensive player, Gareth Bale, has been having a difficult last few weeks if not months at his club, Real Madrid. He has been criticised mercilessly from several quarters of the media both in Madrid and in the UK for his recent poor performances on the pitch. Bale was practically held responsible for Madrid's loss to Juventus in the first leg of the champions' League semi final by pundit, Roy Keane who said Real were effectively playing with 10 men because of Bale's poor showing on the night which made it difficult for Madrid to get a more positive result.
When you play for a club like Real Madrid and with the tag of being the most expensive player on the planet, criticism for any lame performance is likely to come your way on a regular basis except of course, you are a Cristiano Ronaldo or a Lionel Messi.
But are Bale's troubles entirely his fault? Is he not being made a scapegoat by sections of the Spanish media and Real Madrid for recent collective poor performances of the team? A player who has scored 17 goals in 46 appearances for Real Madrid so far this season playing from the wings surely deserves more respect, right?
This week I intend to look at 5 reasons why Bale is having a difficult time at Real Madrid and why he has not been fully accepted or appreciated by the Madrid supporters.
Language barrier issues
It has been reported that in the Real Madrid dressing room, the lingua franca is Spanish (which is not unusual after all,Real Madrid are a Spanish club) and that is the language Real boss, Carlo Ancelloti uses to address the players and pass instructions. Well, Mr Bale is a Welshman and has not come to grips yet with the Spanish language after nearly 2 years with the club. Spanish must be very hard to learn...
Anyway, his team mates have complained about this obstacle and it probably affects the way he relates with many of his team mates on and off the pitch. This has left him increasingly isolated. Ancelloti is a good coach but he of all people in my opinion should be able to bend the rules a little and as much as possible translate most of what has been said to English so that Bale could be carried along. After all, he is the club's most expensive player and it is to their advantage that they get the best out of him.
Player power rearing its head
Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, has claimed that the Madrid players have not been passing the ball to his client and that he has the stats to prove it which he indeed has. Barnett added that his client could go on to be the best Madrid player if they could pass the ball to him more often so that Bale could express himself, as if we didn't know what Bale can do. Well, what did we expect from his agent? A tongue lashing?
On a more serious note though, if his agent is correct in his claims then the logical question that we need to ask is why are his team mates afraid to pass the ball to Bale? The language barrier thing could be one reason but the paranoid ones amongst us will not rule out the influence of Ronaldo on his team mates since they are heavily dependent on Ronaldo's goal scoring and are always trying to play to Ronaldo's strengths.
Bale is short on confidence
Since Bale's troubles started this year, he has looked short of confidence. He has not been deadly, not taken many players on, and his shooting has not been at its best. These are Bale's strongest qualities.
And as long as Bale doesn't regain his form and confidence in front of goal, the Real Madrid jury will remain out on him. Bale's admirers know that form is temporary but class is permanent and will expect Bale to return to his best next season.
Real Madrid fans are fickle
Real Madrid fans like most fans around the world who support big clubs are fickle. When you do well, they love and adore you but when you flop or make some mistakes, they boo you and unleash vitriol at your direction till you improve. If you doubt it, ask Bale's team mate and captain, Iker Casillas.
Iker has been a worthy servant of Real Madrid since he became a regular in the first team squad in 1999. But some high profile mistakes has made the Real Madrid fans turn against him. If you look at Casillas' achievements for both club and country, the attacks on Casillas is shameful. You suspect that if the Madrid fans can do this to one of their own, then Bale a Welshman is fair game. Just imagine if Bale were black...
Being played out of position
This is not the biggest of excuses for Bale's recent troubles after all, he scored 22 goals last season and has already notched up 17 this season from the right wing but it could partly be the reason why we have not seen the best of Bale in a Madrid shirt and his current low confidence levels.
People forget quickly that the reason Bale became such a hot property is because of his performance from the left wing and later on from the centre. Bale is being played on the right because the left wing is Ronaldo's favourite position since he loves to cut in to his favoured right foot and shoot. And of course, it would be ridiculous to play Bale as a central striker where Benzema occupies since he is not a natural striker.
Bale should be allowed to have freedom to roam behind the central striker since it was there he flourished in his last season at Tottenham Hotspur where he scored 24 league goals which persuaded Real Madrid to pay a reported 85 million pounds for his signature.
Your guess is as good as mine.
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