Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
After a dramatic defeat to arch rivals Barcelona on Sunday night, Real Madrid have been hit with more bad news today. That being the fact that Gareth Bale is now set to miss 3-4 weeks due to what is being described as a ‘grade two’ calf injury.
Bale was in a race against time to prove his fitness for El Clasico. One that it seemed like he had won but that was not to be the case due to the fact that the Welsh international only managed 39 minutes against the now league leaders Barcelona.
And this new absence comes at just the wrong time of the season for Bale what with a title run in to deal with and also Real Madrid’s defence of the Champions League. Not only will the former Tottenham man miss key La Liga matches but he is also likely to miss both legs of the Semi Final tie with cross town rivals Atletico.
But the question that has to be asked and perhaps not all that discreetly is just how much will Real miss Bale in his absence. With the likes of James Rodriguez and Isco recently among the goals for Los Blancos it shows that Zinedine Zidane is well stocked for attacking options at The Bernabeu.
Isco has been knocking on the door all season and it is mostly due to Bale’s earlier injuries this season that has allowed the former Malaga an increased role in the first team, that’s also not forgetting the fact that James will also be itching for inclusion at the weekend after what he thought was going to be a late equaliser for Real in El Clasico.
Real are always awash with attacking talent so perhaps Bale’s absence will not be felt as bad as that of Sergio Ramos who is going to be out suspended for three matches after his wild lunge on Lionel Messi on Sunday. His absence is bad enough but it comes at the time of a serious defensive crisis.
It was Ramos and Nacho at the back last Sunday, with Pepe and Raphael Varane both out injured. Add in the suspension of Ramos and Nacho is the only recognised centre back going into this weekends fixture. This means that Casemeiro is more than likely going to have to step in.
The only problems that then raises is that Casemeiro is not really a centre back and then it leaves them without a holding midfielder either. So as you can imagine there are more pressing concerns for Zinedine Zidane to worry about right now.
The race for Bale will be to get fit in time for the final few games of La Liga and also should Real make it to the Champions League final then he will undoubtedly want to be fit and healthy for the homecoming of sorts what with the final being held in Cardiff this season. One thing is for certain is that he will play no part in the upcoming league games against Deportivo and Valencia as Real look to once again regain top spot in Spain.
