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The current La Liga and the Champions League holders are struggling in every way to find their form and to close the points gap in La Liga. At the moment, they stand 16 points shy of league leaders and arch-rivals Barcelona with a game in hand (does that count? Given the points gap already, it doesn't).
For Zidane and his men, things seem to be working against them right from the beginning of the campaign. Starting from Cristiano Ronaldo's 5 match ban and Dani Carvajal's fitness, to Karim Benzema's poor form and injury of their captain and the anchor of their defence-- Sergio Ramos. After losing the recent El Clasico clash at home against the Catalans, Los Blancos sustained further blow after a draw against Celta Vigo. Not being able to capitalize on the gained lead against a team positioned at the 15th place on the League Table and eventually forced to be settled with a draw must have been a morale breaker for the entire team.
Amidst all this chaos there is one name which is proving to be a difference- GARETH BALE! By now, every Madridista must have surely sighed, only if they had Bale whenever the situation called for but alas! The injury was a barrier which kept the Welsh away from the matches. Given the recent times, how Bale came off the bench and delivered what they needed the most; Goals! Fast-paced attacks/counter-attacks! Victories! Yes, it indicates that Gareth Bale was indeed the missing piece in Real Madrid's success puzzle.
The former World's most expensive footballer shone as a sub after scoring the winner against Al Jazira in the FIFA Club World Cup Semi-Final.
A couple of days ago, Bale marked his come-back after having started against Celta Vigo in La Liga and scoring a brace in quick succession.
His presence in the starting XI was very much positive in terms of attacking. Due to his immense pace and acceleration, the job of midfielders looked easy as they had to simply lay the ball off and leave the duty of chasing it upon Bale. With the likes of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Casemiro, Real Madrid have a strong midfield. The inclusion of Gareth Bale would provide the midfielders a greater aid as they can quite often trust him with through balls and defense penetrating passes. The Welshman was also seen linking-up pretty well with Isco and Cristiano Ronaldo in the opposition's final third. Courtesy, his strength, stamina and pace.
If the Real's No.11 stays fit throughout the remainder of the season, Zizou would surely want him to be the team's attacking spearhead to make the most of every possibility in reducing the points gap.
With the Los Blancos currently sitting at 4th place in La Liga and preparing to lock horns with the mighty French Club, Paris Saint-Germain in the upcoming Champions League clash next month, Bale's flair is something that they could bet their chances upon.
Madrid fans are also awaiting Benzema's recovery from his injury to see if Zidane would deploy his B-B-C once again to turn the tides into the Spanish Giants' favor. As for now, Gareth Bale is surely Zinedine Zidane's trump card and most favorite attacking option. Only if injury hadn't played the villain's role for Bale, maybe Galacticos would have been in a better position at the moment. Maybe, he was the one whom the team needed, especially when their two big guns, Benzema and Ronaldo were misfiring. We never know!
