The Anticipated Debut of Bale and Ozil

After the international break, most big clubs in Europe restarted their goal to win every match there is and I’m sure everyone are keeping an eye on Gareth Bale and Mesut Ozil if they are going to be named in the starting XI. The former was already confirmed by coach Ancelotti that he’s going to play although not sure if he will start while Ozil, I believe, is guaranteed to start. And when their respective games started both players were on the pitch to start but it was Ozil who made a big impact to his new club, at least for now.

It didn’t take that long for Ozil to get involved and assisted the opening goal in just 11 minutes from kick-off. And his creativity could have led to more goals for the Gunners which I am sure will be deeply missed by Real Madrid. Many have said that it was a big mistake to sell him as the Los Blancos were held to a 2-2 draw at El Madrigal. The highly spirited and organized Yellow Submarine has denied Bale to a winning start despite him scoring his first goal for the Spanish giants.

Yet, I think, it was Real Madrid’s goalkeeper that made things difficult for the impressive Villareal, who made a string of brilliant saves and denied the Yellow Submarine to a perfect winning record of four games although both teams still extended their unbeaten La Liga start this season. And with the draw, it means both teams are already two points behind champions Barca and Atletico Madrid who won their respective games earlier.

Although Real Madrid did not get the three points they wanted but every good start must come to an end and it is unfortunate for Real. So far, Bale has made a good start and it is only a matter of time on how things will go for him.

Image from wikimedia commons.

Bale to Make His Debut against Villareal

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that the world record signing Welshman winger will make his debut in the away match against Villareal although it is not certain whether he will be part of the starting XI yet he definitely will play. For sure many eyes are set on him as he takes his first competitive match in a Los Blancos shirt and expectations are running so high. Until then no one knows what he can give back to Real Madrid being the most expensive football player in the world.

What’s more interesting in the coming match is what position he will be playing in order not to cause disruptions and problems in linking up with CRon, one of the best players in the world. Some experts and analysts believe that Bale will be playing more in central position to be most productive and probably the reason why Ozil was sold to Arsenal, so to free up some space for him. With Ronaldo and Di Maria on the flanks, it could be the best solution to maximize the effect of Bale’s arrival and get more goals in return.

But then again, that too remains to be seen if Bale and CRon will play along side and if they will jibe together on the pitch. And Bale needs to score a goal as soon as possible to fend off the overwhelming pressure and criticism that surrounds his world breaking transfer. So from tomorrow we will find out who lives to the expectation of many.

Image from theguardian.com

Bale, the Real Deal

The long awaited transfer of Gareth Bale to the Bernabeu has been confirmed after so many rumors and apprehensions. The only thing that is not quite understood is whether Real Madrid broke the record again for the most expensive transfer in history in acquiring Bale from Totttenham. Depending on what newspaper you are reading, you will definitely see different figures and you cannot get a right answer until Tottenham will declare it during the annual stakeholders meeting. That definitely will happen this coming December and we’ll see who is telling the truth.

The fans of Real Madrid finally saw their new Galactico as Bale was presented at the Bernabeu earlier yesterday to the delight of more than twenty thousand spectators of Los Blancos. And perhaps his unveiling could be just a formality since reports came out that Adidas had already started selling Real Madrid shirts with Bale’s name. Adding to it was another news report that Bale had already had a pair of football shoes waiting for him at the Bernabeu.

But even before his arrival there are already a lot of speculations whether Bale could be the Real deal or not? And that if he can live up to his huge price tag as the most expensive football player in history, remains to be seen. For now, everyone is back to their respective country for the qualifying matches for the World Cup next year in Brazil.

Image from thesun.co.uk.

Gareth Bale’s Summer Transfer Saga

The summer transfer window is all about the mega transfer deal of Gareth Bale to the Bernabeu which will break world record deal in history. But Tuesday has passed and still there was no official announcement of Bale at the Santiago Bernabeu. It is now Thursday and the closing of the transfer window is fast approaching. Real Madrid also admitted that they have encountered unspecified problems that delayed the signings of Gareth Bale. But then, as I said in my previous post that Bale’s Real Madrid shirt was on sale already and perhaps this small snag in his transfer is simply to add spice before the transfer window closes on 2 September.

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On the other hand, Tottenham’s manager, Andre Villas-Boas, said that Spurs is considering fining Bale as he did not show up at the White hart Lane for two consecutive days already. Although Bale has failed to report for training, many still believe that despite the lengthy transfer negotiations it will still be pushed through, perhaps at the very end. One very obvious evidence was the Spurs busy spending in acquiring players from other clubs and perhaps they are just waiting for the desired successor to the Welsh superstar. In fact, Tottenham has already acquired the service of Paulinho, Chadli, Capoue and striker Roberto Soldado. They are also finalizing to close the deal of Roma forward Erik Lamela and Bucharest defender Chiriches.

And once the deal of Lamela and Chiriches are done, Spurs will break their own transfer record again for the third time this summer. Then probably when those deals are finalized, Tottenham will formally accept Real Madrid’s offer and to finally put an end on Gareth Bale’s summer transfer saga so Real can now unveil their latest “Galactico” signing.

It is Still Early to Tell

The second day of competitive football in EPL and La Liga has seen some contrasting results comparing to the opening games. And so far only Manchester City has fallen prey and slumped to a stunning 2-3 defeat against a well organized Cardiff City. And tonight will be a great conclusion for day 2 and what the EPL season would be in the coming days as ManU and Chelsea will square-off at Old Trafford. On the other hand, all eyes are set on Real Madrid as the imminent transfer of Gareth Bale is forthcoming, who have been staying at his agent’s apartment in Marbella.

Although it is still too early to tell as it is still only the second day but at some point it will be crucial not to be taken advantage early on of the season. So winning each game will only benefit each team especially if the 2011 EPL season is to be repeated wherein, Man City only won in goal difference right at the very last game of the season. And speaking of last-gasp goal, Manchester City had almost duplicated their 2011 stoppage time victory as Cardiff was 3-1 up going into injury time. City can only manage to pull one back despite a couple of chances before succumbing to a stunning defeat.

It was stunning because Man City is already a goal up just seven minutes at the start of the second half and I haven’t seen also the fire power and style that they have had in thrashing New Castle in their first match. And I could only see two reasons of their defeat. First and foremost, the absence of injured captain Vincent Kompany has made two defensive mishaps with a makeshift center back of Javi Garcia alongside Joleon Lescott. Or probably, The Bluebirds just played an incredibly disciplined and well organized football in front of home crowd in their first Premier League home match.

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Gareth Bale Arrives in Spain

The long speculation of Gareth Bale transferring to Real Madrid this summer has come to an end after Real agreed to a world record deal worth 86 million pounds. And will officially become the most expensive football player in history, breaking CRon’s 80 million pounds transfer fee in 2009. Although Tottenham’s manager insists that a deal has yet to be completed but Gareth Bale’s arrival in Spain is more than enough to hint that he finally agreed to move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

There are more indications that the deal has finally been completed as Bale was left out for the match against Swansea although the Spurs are claiming that he is nursing an injury. Then after Bale was given two days off, he flew and arrives in Spain on Saturday, on a private jet and waiting for the go signal to travel to Madrid for the medical check-up and formally sign the contract. The third indication is that, there’s already a stage intended for Bale’s presentation at the Santiago Bernabeu and could be unveiled as early as Tuesday. That is because the Spurs manager said that if the deal is not completed then he expects Bale to be back at the White Hart Lane for training.

Lastly, the more daring stance is Real Madrid’s number 11 jersey with Bale’s name at the back was up for sale in one of the store in Madrid last week and in fact, Gareth Bale’s name already appeared in Madrid’s official website but was then taken out after awhile. Instances like this is not new for Real Madrid as it happened also to Luka Modric’s apparent moved to the Bernabeu last season. So when Gareth Bale arrives in Spain, it is now considered a done deal.

Image from wikimedia commons.