Bale bags brace at the Bernabeu

 

 

By David Lee Wheatley

 

Gareth Bale bagged two goals of his own and set up another two for Real Madrid as they romped to an emphatic 7-3 victory against Sevilla at the Bernabeu last night.

After a listless display in El Clasico last Saturday versus arch-rivals Barcelona, many in the Spanish media seemed determined to denounce Bale as a waste of money. This was in spite of the fact that he’d hardly played for Los Blancos since his world-record end of summer transfer from Tottenham through a catalogue of injuries that severely hampered his ability to settle into his stride in the Spanish capital.

Despite such strong and unwarranted criticism, the Welshman didn’t appear to be letting it affect him when playing an instrumental part in everything good about the home side yesterday evening. The winger was the chief reason they held a handy cushion to fall back on when Sevilla made a concerted effort to get back into the match from three-down, at one stage advancing to within one goal of their illustrious opponents.

Just 27 minutes in, Bale had already notched a nifty double to put his new club in command of the clash, before goalscoring phenomenon Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a third. A few jittery moments ensued when Sevilla brought the score back to 3-2 with five minutes of the first-half remaining through a Rakitic penalty and a Bacca strike. However, Benzema and Ronaldo stretched the lead further after the break prior to Sevilla grabbing a third, before the Portuguese superstar completed a fine hat-trick and Karim Benzema sealed the game with his second through a neat header.

Cristiano’s treble elevated him above the great Ferenc Puskas into fourth spot on the all-time scorer chart with an incredible 157. It’s a mark of the player that he’s reached such a landmark at the relatively young age of 28 and with many more years in the tank. At just 24, Bale will look to emulate his feted colleague in becoming a living legend in the eyes of those fans that behold him at the Bernabeu during his spell there; on this evidence, he may well have a realistic chance to do just that.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Bale bangs in goal on debut

By David Lee Wheatley

Welshman Gareth Bale scored on his debut in a Real Madrid shirt last night, as his new club took home a hard-earned point from Villarreal following an entertaining 2-2 draw.

The winger featured for 62 minutes at El Madrigal, scoring an equaliser to make it 1-1 after 38 minutes while undertaking a less-than-familiar role on the right. He managed to register a reasonably good performance, while endearing himself to the travelling fans with his strike to level after Cani put the hosts in front.

Dani Carvajal created the opportunity for Bale to score with a great run into the box on the right-hand side, before he crossed low towards the back post where the new boy slid in to beat his man to the ball and poke it home.

Bale almost got a second with a powerful left-footed effort from 25 yards that sailed just over the bar and he showed off his blistering pace on one particular occasion down the right in the second-half when beating two opposing players with ease before his attempted cross was unfortunately blocked.

The 24-year-old looked a little jaded when substituted just after the hour mark, but will surely feel ecstatic with a dream start to his career in Madrid. Only four minutes after he'd left the field of play, Real grabbed the lead through a deflected goal from Cristiano Ronaldo, which seemingly set them on their way to victory. However, the lead didn't last long as Villarreal levelled through Giovani on 70 minutes to shock the visiting side.

Most observers viewed Bale's first appearance as a success, but the team as a whole will be disappointed not to have secured the win against their newly-promoted opponents.

Once the Wales international gathers full fitness, he will be capable of making a huge impression at Real in the coming months and years. For Bale, yesterday simply couldn't have gone much better.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Soldado will soften the blow

By David Lee Wheatley

Tottenham Hotspur today agreed a £26m deal with Valencia for the transfer of Spanish international striker Roberto Soldado.

Real Madrid's relentless pursuit of Gareth Bale appears close to a conclusion and the capture of the former Getafe man will go a long way to make up for the expected loss of the Welsh winger.

Soldado racked up 30 goals in 46 appearances for his club last season and such efficiency will be welcome at White Hart Lane, especially considering the options Andre Villas-Boas currently has open to him.

Jermain Defoe is a predatory finisher, but isn't a player for the long-term at 31 years of age and is possibly on the verge of leaving. Adebayor looked excellent when on loan at Spurs the season before last, but his form faltered badly following completion of a permanent switch and is subject of intense interest from the Turkish league. Meanwhile, Clint Dempsey operates between the midfield and forward line, making the need for an out-and-out striker extremely urgent.

28-year-old Soldado started out at Real Madrid, but struggled to force his way into the first-team and left for Getafe having played just 16 times. A goal every two games with the Madrid-based side brought the attention of bigger clubs and hometown team Valencia signed him up in 2010. Soldado's career surged on to another level with Los Che helping him cement a place in the national squad along the way.

As with all foreign imports, there'll be a settling-down period for Soldado before he feels fully comfortable in his new surroundings, but undoubtedly his supreme eye for goal and positional sense puts him up alongside the very best strikers in world football. During the last two campaigns in particular, the Valencia-born finisher looked consistently excellent.

Spurs already sealed deals for winger Nacer Chadli from Twente and Brazilian star Paulinho from Corininthians before agreeing a fee for Soldado. Another two or three top-class additions financed by the windfall from the likely sale of Gareth Bale should make Tottenham a serious threat to the top three positions in the Premier League this coming season.

Fans may feel disappointed at the prospect of Gareth Bale joining Real Madrid, but they can comfort themselves with the thought that one player doesn't make a team and the north London club are in the process of constructing a squad capable of challenging for top honours both domestically and in Europe.

It really isn't all that bad!

Bale won't resist Madrid

 

By David Lee Wheatley

 

The chase for Welsh wizard Gareth Bale is set to come to a crescendo over the coming days, as strong rumours of a mega-deal worth £86m surfaced from Real Madrid today.

 

Carlo Ancelotti is determined to seal a deal for the Tottenham Hotspur winger and will stop at nothing until he gets his man.

 

Spanish giants Real reportedly offered £51m cash, plus Argentine winger Angel Di Maria and Portuguese left-back Fabio Coentrao in exchange. Not only is the opportunity of a switch to the Bernebeu an attractive one for Bale, the transfer also appears highly lucrative for Spurs.

 

Losing the former Southampton man would be a huge blow, but it'd be softened somewhat by the arrival of the world-class Di Maria and Coentrao. Receiving two players of that calibre would strengthen the Spurs left flank and deliver extra options to Andre Villas-Boas in his quest to lead Spurs back into Champions League reckoning.

 

Bale's performances last season showcased the supreme talent he possesses and placed him amongst the world's very best. Spurs will struggle to keep hold of the 24-year-old due in equal parts to the lack of top-level European competition at White Hart Lane and the lure of Real Madrid proving too strong for the player regardless.

 

As evidenced by many cases in the past, keeping a disillusioned player on the books usually becomes counter-productive and Villas-Boas must make a crucial decision soon on Bale's future.

 

It could be argued that even taking into account Bale's excellence, a replacement in the form of Angel Di Maria wouldn't necessarily be a step backwards for the north London side. The former Benfica flyer represents a class addition to the squad should he settle and integrate quickly into the AVB way.

 

Judgement day is almost upon chairman Daniel Levy and he, in conjuction with his head coach, needs to make a decisive choice in the best interests of the club. It may mean Bale leaving to pursue his dream of turning out for Real well in time for the new campaign.

 

Twitter: @davewh1980

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You can also find me writing for www.football-oranje.com, www.footballhub.tk and www.footballrants.com amongst others!