Gareth Bale had it rough during the 2014-15 campaign. Things did not go as he expected. He scored fewer goals than he had done during his first year in Madrid and he was much less decisive (his tally of 22 goals dropped to 17 strikes). We recall that during the 2013-14 season he scored a spectacular goal in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona and also netted in the Champions League final. That did not prevent him from hearing whistles at the Bernabéu this year, nor did it prevent him from being accused of being “selfish”. The Welshman reached the point where he wanted to leave Madrid and return to the Premier League. But, in the end, he is going to stick around in the Spanish capital. In exchange, he has asked for his position on the pitch to be changed. It was Jonathan Barnett, his agent, who was tasked with transmitting this desire to club officials. Bale wants to play more through the middle and behind the striker.
The Welshman does not feel comfortable playing on the right-hand side, but, contrary to what has been reported so far, he does not fancy moving to the left either. Not at all. Firstly because he does not believe that the left flank is his best position and secondly because he knows that Cristiano Ronaldo does not want to change his position and end up as a No.9. Bale might feel more free as he does when he plays with Wales – he scores more and gets involved more often. In fact, he likes the generosity that Karim Benzema has always shown him and wants to situate himself behind the Frenchman. This is something that would fit perfectly with the system that Rafa Benítez could implement at Real Madrid (4-2-3-1). Now the new Real Madrid coach will have to deal with this matter. And it is not as easy as it seems…