Soccer: Bale feels heat in new home

Gareth Bale celebrates scoring the equaliser for Real Madrid against Villarreal. Photo / AP

Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the first out of El Madrigal, walking down the corridors of the little stadium around midnight. He was wearing the famous person's expression of determined non-engagement until he recognised a familiar face from the English football reporting fraternity.

"How are you?" said Ronaldo, wandering over to shake hands. And then, as he turned away, he shouted over his shoulder, "Don't worry. Bale is coming," and winked extravagantly as befits a man who has 203 goals in 203 games for Real Madrid and has just signed a new five-year contract worth 76 million ($147.4 million).

Gareth Bale was indeed soon out but he was wearing that fearful expression and, having just scored on his Madrid debut in a 2-2 draw with Villarreal, could not even muster a word to the lines of cameras and reporters. There seemed some confusion about who had made that decision, Bale or the club, but the Real attitude was spelled out by one of their many anxious-looking minions: "Look, the problem is we didn't win."

In a two-horse race, that is the issue facing Madrid, who are now fourth after four games. They have dropped only two points but when you have a starting XI that cost 324 million and are up against a newly promoted side there can be no excuses. Especially when Barcelona - four wins out of four so far - are capable of knocking over opponents so remorselessly.

What Bale learnt on Sunday was that, although the big two in Spain have strangled the life out of the competition from a financial point of view, there are pockets of resistance. Villarreal were magnificent and, were it not for the Real goalkeeper Diego Lopez, might have won. Bale scored the equaliser and Ronaldo the second after the break.

As for Bale's first few days at Madrid, explaining that fell to Paul Clement, Carlo Ancelotti's assistant who moved with him to Paris Saint-Germain, where he helped David Beckham to integrate, then to Real.

"It's a similar scenario," Clement said. "I had a really good relationship with David, mostly because we were two Englishmen in Paris, and he could always lean on me .. We have that good relationship still.

"Gareth and I can develop the same kind of professional relationship here and help each other. I guess I'd been in France a while by the time David arrived, but it will be the same here. I know how Carlo works ... and if I can pass on anything to Gareth to make him feel more at home, then great."

On Sunday Bale started on the right but switched with Ronaldo at the mid-point of the first half and it was coming from that flank that he scored his goal. He got a decisive foot on Daniel Carvajal's cross from the right six minutes from halftime. From a scorer of beautiful goals in the last three seasons this was nothing of the sort, but it gave him a solid platform on which to build. He was substituted before the hour.

He will need that stability in the challenges ahead. The cycle of games resumes with Galatasaray in the Champions League in Istanbul today and then, potentially, Bale's Bernabeu debut against Getafe next Monday.

Clement said: "He's got a lot of support. This is a big club. One of the first things I noticed when I came here is how different it is to Paris Saint-Germain. There we were in the early stages of restructuring, while here it's a very well-established club, a club who have become used to foreign coaches and foreign players for many, many years.

"So everything's in place to give them that support and make that transition very easy. Gareth has his own people here and support staff at the club as well who can help him settle in as quickly as possible."

It seems that the question for Madrid is how quickly they can get Bale back to his potent best without affecting the momentum the team must build in the league if they are to keep pace with Barcelona.

- Independent