Gareth Bale Deserving of Latest Critics but Real Madrid Team-Mates at Fault Too

As the dust settled on Real Madrid's shocking 4-0 defeat at city rivals Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Saturday, the media surrounding arguably the world's biggest club did not take long in picking out their collective targets to blame for the devastating result.

Gareth Bale, the world's most expensive player and one of Real's starting attacking stars, came in for plenty of harsh words. Michael Robinson, Spain's biggest TV pundit, called him "a spectator" during his show, while the Mirror report Spanish media calling Bale "irrelevant and listless." BBC Sport also cite Spanish paper AS having not graded Bale at all in the post-game ratings, along with several of his team-mates.

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@BBCMOTD @GarethBale11 Misleading. Spanish press simply didn't single Bale out for criticism. Quite the opposite. pic.twitter.com/udLemPhVWB

— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) February 8, 2015"

Bale's lack of impact has not been confined just to the derby game in recent weeks, and on that level, the coverage and criticism of his performances is justified—but it's a problem for Real Madrid which extends beyond just Bale himself.

Bale Run

On the right side of a 4-3-3 over the past few weeks, stretching back prior to the winter break, Bale has been an infrequently used outlet, picking the ball wide and simply recycling back infield at times, rather than having the ability or service to beat his man, cut infield or be a threat inside the penalty box.

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Against Atleti, he received even less time on the ball than usual, but even in games before that—wins over Cordoba, Espanyol and Real Sociedad, for example—he simply wasn't heavily involved. Whether because the team were finding more success in moving the ball centrally, with James and Isco excelling, or because there are a few conflicting areas of the side, he simply isn't option No. 1 to look for from midfield.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

From the annoyance of Ronaldo at the lack of a pass in front of goal, to the derby humiliation, there are plenty of individual moments this season for Bale to forget, but most pertinent of all is that his numbers simply don't stack up.

Ten league goals, many of them "icing on the cake" finishes and one (match-winning) penalty, isn't a big enough return for his transfer fee, his undisputed starting position or for a team that aspires to win everything.

Atletico

Against Atleti, Bale came under fire in particular for his inability to defend well at all, not tracking back the rampant Guilherme Siqueira, not helping to win the ball in midfield or close the shape of the team up by tucking in off the flank. His passes were loose, he had no impact in the box and his movement off the ball was nonexistent.

But the same can be said for the other two forwards, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Neither had a shot on target, neither won the ball back for their team, both gave it away with startling regularity, failing to link with the midfield or each other. Pablo Polo in Marca (in Spanish) wrote about a "disconnection" between the front three, noting that individually they had all been on a downward trend since the World Club Cup. "Real Madrid need the return of the BBC," he wrote.

It's very much a case of all three disappointing at different times; until recently, Benzema hadn't scored since November in La Liga. Ronaldo has been peripheral in games of late, even when scoring, plus he was sent off.

The two-match ban was meant to see him return in time for the derby; although he took to the field, he certainly didn't impact on the fixture, and that is every bit as big a disappointment as Bale's performance.

Season

Carlo Ancelotti will continue to field Bale, Ronaldo and Benzema together, so the Welshman doesn't need to immediately worry about his place. With Colombian star James out injured, Real can play their offensive players in a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3 as they bid to get back to winning ways.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Last time they lost to Atleti this season, it sparked a 22-game win streak. They might not get back to exactly that kind of run straight away, but with the top end of the table so close once more, Ancelotti knows he needs to get the best out of his attacking talents once more to ensure the season finishes with silverware.

Bale needs to work on his own game, too, showing better link play, getting back to the basics of what he's unstoppable at; breaking behind defences at pace, low crosses for on-running team-mates and firing in shots from inside the box. He has stopped attacking the far post, getting on the end of others' cutbacks and crosses, something he did to great effect last year. It can't all be about running onto a through pass and using pace to finish for him.

Ancelotti has to get the team back into shape, back working hard. Wins won't simply come Real's way, especially against a team like Atletico.

For that to happen, stars like Bale need to up their own game as well as the overall team game—but Bale is far from the only one who needs to do so.

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