MY ACCOUNT
Gareth Bale was almost a returning hero for Real Madrid, going as close as anyone to finding a winner in the 0-0 draw at Villarreal on Saturday.
Making his first LaLiga appearance since August, Bale was initially a passenger, but he later drew three sharp saves from Geronimo Rulli, who kept the hosts in the game.
Madrid remain top of the table, but with Sevilla winning on Friday night it means the lead for Carlo Ancelotti’s team has shrunk to four points.
The outcome was perhaps predictable from the first whistle: Madrid have now drawn their last five away LaLiga games against Villarreal. All the same, there was almost a stoppage-time twist, substitute Luka Jovic chipping against the bar.
It was the home side who went closest in the opening 20 minutes when Arnaut Danjuma’s shot took a touch off Marcelo and bounced back off the left post.
Villarreal’s Alberto Moreno found a yard of space on the edge of the Madrid box and his thumping shot demanded a good save from Thibaut Courtois.
Bale then had a sniff of a chance, sprinting onto a throughball from Casemiro and seeing his shot well saved by Rulli.
Marco Asensio whipped a powerful shot a yard too high early in the second half, before Bale hit the bar from just inside the penalty area, Rulli with enough of a touch to prevent the Wales forward finding the net.
Federico Valverde then stole the ball and played in Vinicius Junior, but Rulli spread his body well to keep out the Brazil winger’s shot.
Bale again drew a save from Rulli, with the goalkeeper getting down to a flicked strike from the former Tottenham man, who lasted just over 70 minutes until Jovic replaced him.
Courtois had to be sharp to punch away a dangerous backpass from Marcelo, before Jovic nearly pinched the points, Nacho seeing the follow-up cleared off the line.
What does it mean? Madrid struggling for goals
That is one goal in their last three games in all competitions for the capital giants, not ideal form to be taking into the Champions League trip to Paris Saint-Germain in this coming week. They led the shot count 17-9 here, drawing five saves from the busy Rulli, and it remains to be seen who Ancelotti chooses to lead the line at the Parc des Princes. This, by the way, is why Madrid are so set on signing Kylian Mbappe from the Parisians. With him on board, surely they would have come away from the Estadio de la Ceramica with three points.
Bale starts slowly, becomes a menace
After just three touches in the opening 25 minutes, any observer would have wondered what Bale was doing out there. He then drilled a first-time shot 15 yards off target, and the same thought occurred. But he began to feel comfortable with the pace of the game, and by the second half he was a real threat to Villarreal.
Playing nominally as a striker but always drifting, he should perhaps have stuck away one of his game-high six shots at goal, as you suspect the injured and absent Karim Benzema would have.
Hundred up for Carlo
This was Ancelotti’s 100th LaLiga game as Madrid boss, spread across two spells of course. His record reads W73 D14 L13. He becomes the eighth manager to reach a century of league games in charge of Los Blancos. It was just a shame for the affable Italian that his team could not give him cause for added celebration.
What’s next?
Madrid have their Champions League trip to PSG coming up on Tuesday. Villarreal will be back in action next Saturday when they tackle Granada in LaLiga.
