Why Gareth Bale Could Follow Angel Di Maria into Central Role for Real Madrid

When Real Madrid allowed Mesut Ozil to leave for Arsenal last summer, technically replacing him with Tottenham's Gareth Bale, there were question marks posed over their lack of creativity through the middle.

In his final season in the Spanish capital, nobody created more chances for Los Blancos than Ozil. The German midfielder worked 91 openings, which in turn led to 13 assists in La Liga—Cristiano Ronaldo (62) and Luka Modric (56) were his closest competitors.

Bale might score goals, but who was going to create them now there was an Ozil sized-gap in Carlo Ancelotti's side?

The answer came in the form of Angel Di Maria.

In Ozil's final season with the club, Di Maria had only created 45 chances in the league, leading to six assists. Despite that, Madrid's Italian boss clearly saw the Argentinian's potential through the middle—he had played there previously—and would later admit that was his motive for allowing Ozil, not Di Maria, to depart that summer.

"I prefer Di Maria for the balance of the team," Ancelotti said, as reported by David Wright in the Express.

"It is true, that maybe Di Maria has less quality than Ozil but on a profile of dynamism, character and help to the team I preferred Di Maria."

Daniel Tejedor/Associated Press

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

And the former PSG, Chelsea and AC Milan boss was certainly proved right. Last season Di Maria was Madrid's chief creator, laying on 90 chances and ending the campaign with 17 assists in the league alone.

He was also more than important in both the Copa del Rey and the Champions League finals.

However, for the second summer running now, Real Madrid have been stripped of their most creative player from the past season, posing the same question once again: Who is going to create the goals?

Luka Modric and Toni Kroos will both contribute, but they are known for their other attributes and should not be expected to hit the numbers previously hit by Ozil and Di Maria.

James Rodriguez is an incredible player and an expensive one too, and he should be able to provide a creative spark. For Monaco last season he created 85 chances and ended the French league campaign with 12 assists. Isco, likewise, could also perform a similar function to the Colombian.

But what if Ancelotti is looking for someone with a similar profile to Di Maria?

Last season it wasn't just his assists which made him stand out in the La Decima-winning side. It was his energy, his pace and his work rate. Often at the tip of a three-man midfield, the 26-year-old's ability to burst out of his own half was one of the most compelling aspects of Madrid's play.

Jose Ignacio Unanue/Associated Press

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

James and Isco are unlikely to be able to provide that function, as both of them, despite being technically brilliant and exquisite footballers, can't match Di Maria's initial acceleration.

And so, Spanish publication Marca suggests, Ancelotti is thinking about training Bale in a new position:

"

Balance is already something that Ancelotti was aiming for last year. Perhaps the restructuring of this season's Real side will begin with this tactical switch, which does make some sense if you think about it.

Bale has more legs than James: he covers more ground, he can catch teams out with runs from deep and he's less predictable when he's not stuck out on the right wing. He also has a good understanding of the defensive side of the game from his early days as a left-back.

"

Like Di Maria two seasons ago, the Welshman spent the majority of last term playing on the right of Madrid's front three. Also like Di Maria, Bale possesses frightening pace—as tearful Rayo Vallecano full-back Anaitz Arbilla found out last season—and he can outdo the new Manchester United midfielder in the power stakes.

Restoring balance through the middle, though, could reduce it further forward. Bale has been a vital part of Madrid's front three, and taking him away from his usual role may leave them toothless—especially with Cristiano Ronaldo's fitness concerns.

With the Portuguese forward completely fit and Karim Benzema in form, it could work, but Ancelotti will surely be wary about implementing this idea for the club's next game: A capital-city derby with Atletico Madrid this coming Saturday.

Stats taken from the following Squawka pages:

Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria and James Rodriguez

Follow @samuelmarsden