Cristiano who?
That’s the question most Real Madrid supporters will be asking themselves this morning after a Gareth Bale master class finally showed that he is the man to take Los Blancos forward.
Against Roma in their final International Champions Cup match, the Welshman almost single-handedly destroyed the Italians. It was as if the shackles had been well and truly taken off.
Interchanging positions with Marco Asensio at will, Bale had much more freedom to create havoc than if Ronaldo had been up front screaming for the ball at every opportunity.
Indeed, it took just over a minute for the flying winger to produce the most sumptuous pass of the match; an outside-of-the-boot left-footed curler from just inside the opposition half, which picked out Asensio perfectly to fire Madrid ahead.
By the quarter hour Los Blancos had doubled their lead, the Welshman receiving a pass from Dani Carvajal before cutting in from the right and finishing with aplomb.
No wonder new coach Julen Lopetegui was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
It should’ve been three and game over before the break with Bale again involved, but his cross to Karim Benzema wasn’t accurate for once.
As expected, a number of substitutions were made at half-time, but Bale would last another 11 minutes before making way for Lucas Vazquez. It was still enough time to pose a consistent threat and it’s exactly this type of performance that Lopetegui will be looking for against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup, and beyond.
It seems the Welshman is thriving with his new responsibilities and if he can keep himself injury free, Real Madrid may yet see the very best of him.
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With the back end of last season as a guide, it’s clear that when Bale is fully fit, he’s as dangerous as any player in the side. The way he linked with Asensio and Benzema against Roma was pure poetry and takes the eye off of the potential departures of Mateo Kovacic and Luka Modric.
Given the upheaval already this summer, it’s vital for Florentino Perez that Lopetegui gets off to the best of starts in 2018/19.
Zinedine Zidane’s epic tenure will take some following but without the Frenchman’s talisman in situ, it forces Real into a new way of working – and that can only be of benefit in the long term.
It’s not wiping the slate clean as such, just giving everyone a renewed focus.