Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 9y

Gareth Bale fit for Real Madrid and confident form will improve

Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has shrugged off an injury concern, while saying he is sure the team's attacking displays will improve.

The fluidity of Madrid's attack was the major talking point in the local Spanish media after Sunday's 0-0 draw at newly promoted Sporting Gijon in their La Liga opener.

Los Blancos managed 27 shots at El Molinon, but were unable to find the net, following on from four blanks in their eight preseason games as new coach Rafa Benitez works out how to best use all his attacking superstars.

On Monday, Bale was seen visiting a Madrid clinic after having picked up a knock to his right leg against Sporting, but said at a commercial event that afternoon that he was not concerned about the injury, and should be fine to start against Real Betis at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday evening.

"Everything is fine, I underwent tests this morning just to be certain and we saw that it was just a knock," Bale said. "There's nothing to worry about, I'm perfectly fine."

As throughout preseason, Bale played as a roving No. 10 against Sporting, with Cristiano Ronaldo starting on the left wing and then moving to a centre-forward role when Jese Rodriguez was substituted early in the second half. That system could be used again against Betis, with the fit-again Karim Benzema likely to replace Jese at the top of Benitez's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation.

Bale said that team had been working hard on both defensive and attacking issues during training, and would quickly show improvement out on the pitch.

"We are getting better all the time," he said. "We're learning, training and improving. With each game that passes we are becoming an even stronger unit.

"Obviously we are going to be an attacking side. We need to improve at the back, but we're still working on being an exciting team, one that will be going out to win everything. We've only played the first La Liga game of the season. We didn't score, but I'm 100 percent sure we'll get plenty of goals".

At the same event, Madrid left-back Marcelo spoke warmly about his new coach, saying Benitez was working closely with the players on the training ground to improve their performances.

"[Benitez] a fantastic manager," he said. "He's extremely competitive, he talks to us a lot and tries to show us what we're doing wrong so we can become better. He is attentive to each player, making sure we improve in each training session and each game."

Such defence from Blancos players comes as the Madrid-based sports media has already been very critical of Benitez's tactics, with speculation in both AS and Marca that not all the big names at the Bernabeu are happy with how things are going.

AS' cover Tuesday morning spoke of "Benitez's labyrinth," with a story inside the paper saying fielding Bale as a central playmaker was "causing confusion" for everyone else in the Madrid attack.

Another AS report said that benching James Rodriguez on Saturday was "strange" considering he top-scored for the team through preseason with two goals despite returning later after the Copa America, and the Colombia international is claimed to be "upset" at the situation.

Potentially more worrying for Blancos fans is a Marca "confidential" story which claims Cristiano Ronaldo "is not comfortable in Benitez's system," with Bale's new central role also the main issue for the Portuguese.

Benitez has defended his decision to give Bale "more freedom" than his attacking colleagues, saying before the La Liga opener that the former Spurs man "has characteristics that the others don't have.".

After the Sporting game, the ex-Liverpool, Chelsea and Napoli boss said that he was "optimistic" about the team's performances soon improving.

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