Comparing Gareth Bale's 2014/15 Statistics to his 2013/14 Statistics: What do they tell us?

Gareth Bale

When Gareth Bale signed for a world record fee (depending on which sources you read) for Real Madrid in 2013, everyone knew that Los Blancos were getting an enormous talent. In the beginning however, Bale struggled with injury and inconsistency that led up to a terrible El Clasico performance. With the media calling for his head, the Welshman showed great strength of character to bounce back and become one of the top 5 players in the world by the end of the season. His first season ended as a fairytale with a price-tag justifying Copa del Rey goal and a historic La Decima.

However things have not been so smooth for Bale in his sophomore season with the club. For reasons hard to explain, Bale never kicked off on a strong run of form this season and seemed to disappear in the important games for Real. Perhaps looking closer at Bale’s statistics in his two seasons with Madrid will show us where Bale went wrong and where he needs to improve.

(All statistics are taken from Squawka.com and include only performances in La Liga and the Champions League)

Shooting

Gareth Bale - Shooting

2013/14 Season

Total Shots: 120

Total Goals: 21 (6 in UCL)

Shots per goal: 5.71

Goals from inside the box: 16

Percentage of total: 76.19%

Goals from outside the box: 5

Percentage of total: 23.81%

Headed goals: 2

Percentage of total: 9.52%

2014/15 Season

Total Shots: 139

Total Goals: 15 (2 in UCL)

Shots per goal: 9.27

Goals from inside the box: 14

Percentage of total: 93.33%

Goals from outside the box: 1

Percentage of total: 6.67%

Headed goals: 3

Percentage of total: 20%

What does this tell us?

The most interesting and pertinent of all these statistics to look at, are his shots, goals, and shots per goal. First off you notice that despite the claims that Bale wasn’t getting enough of the ball and that he wasn’t getting enough shooting opportunities (due to the selfishness of Cristiano Ronaldo), Bale actually took 19 more shots this season than last year. With that increase you’d expect a couple more goals. Instead you saw a decrease from 21 goals in the 13/14 season to 15 goals in the 14/15 season.

This led to his respectable 5.71 shots per goal (13/14) jumping to a horrific 9.27 shots per goal (14/15). Such a jump not only points to a loss in confidence by Bale, but also to the fact that he might not be shooting from the best of situations. If defenders are learning to close him down better, then Bale has to fire shots from tighter angles. There seems to be proof behind this claim when examining the number of long-range goals Bale scored each season. In the 2013/14 season you see a superb 5 goals scored from outside the box. In the 2014/15 season you see a paltry 1. 

It is important to note here that that 1 goal came from a free kick where no defenders were allowed to tightly mark Bale and close off his angles. This suggests that at least some of Bale’s shooting problems lie in the fact that many defenders have learned and adapted to Bale’s game after his first season. Bale no longer has the element of surprise. But this can’t be too much of an excuse for Bale. World class players always manage to keep their game unpredictable. If the Welshman is at a loss for ideas, here are two ways for Bale to do so:

1. He can improve his movement

Many lethal strikers across the globe continually outwit defenders with their clever movement between the lines and on the shoulder of defenders. However, this is something that Bale is quite clearly hesitant to do. He likes to receive the ball at his feet and charge at defenders. But with defenders beginning to figure out the Welshman, Bale should look to better use the space around him to escape his markers. His header total of 2 and 3 show that Bale has much to improve in this area, and if he can start making smarter runs he might even be half as lethal as a certain Ronaldo in the box (which is plenty enough!).

2. He can improve his dribbling

I haven’t got to the dribbling section of this article yet, so I’ll keep it brief. If Bale wants to keep his style of running at defenders, he needs to become more technical in his take-ons. As of now he looks to push the ball into space and run past defenders. But with 10-15 meters less space to run into in La Liga, Bale gets dispossessed too easily. Glimpses of his close control in matches have shown us Bale is capable of becoming a better tight space dribbler, and he must continue to improve on that if he is to create better shooting opportunities for himself.

Passing

Gareth Bale - Passing

2013/14 Season

Total Chances Created: 50

Assists: 16

Average Pass Accuracy: 78.5%

Average Pass Length: 15.5 Meters

2014/15 Season

Total Chances Created: 58

Assists: 10

Average Pass Accuracy: 78%

Average Pass Length: 15.5

What does this tell us?

The good news for Madridistas is that in a passing sense, Bale has gotten better than last season. He has created 8 more chances this season, indicating that his paltry total of assists (when compared to last season) is down more to poor finishing by his teammates rather than his lack of creative ability. His passing accuracy is an area to improve (albeit a minor area), for Gareth as a player of his ability should be in the 80’s in passing accuracy. 

But again he has done well to almost perfectly maintain his passing accuracy when it is clear that defenders have been marking him more closely this season. In regards to his passing range, it has stayed the same, demonstrating not only that Bale is continuing to attempt risky passes but also that his positioning on the field (in this case meaning how close he is to goal) has stayed relatively the same.

Dribbling

Gareth Bale - Dribbling

2013/14 Season

Take-ons attempted: 147

Take-ons completed: 80

Take-on success: 59.86%

2014/15 Season

Take-ons attempted: 156

Take-ons completed: 89

Take-on success: 57.05%

What does this tell us?

I touched upon this slightly in the shooting section, but it seems the figures do anything but back up what I said. His take-on success in the 2013/14 season went down from a world class 59.86% to a still highly respectable 57.05%. That is only a 2.81% drop from one season to the next. But these figures are skewed due to Bale’s dribbling performance in the Champions League. In Europe, Bale’s take-on success rate was 64.86%. 

This shows that when Bale is still a relatively unknown quantity by teams (as he is on the continent), he is still a force with the ball at his feet. However in La Liga this season, he had more experienced defenders marking him. This is shown in his significantly lower take-on success rate in the league: 54.62%. As Bale begins to play more matches in the Champions League, slowly defenders will be able to figure out how to stop him just like the defenders in La Liga have done. 

If Bale doesn’t change or improve his dribbling ability, his effectiveness when charging at defenders will be seriously nullified. Thus as mentioned before, Bale needs to practice in tight spaces and change his mentality when taking on a player. There needs to be less knocking the ball forward and more touches and tricks. Bale is an excellent footballer and is capable of making the change. He just needs the willingness to do so.

Conclusion

There isn’t too much we can predict about Bale when using these stats, as Bale is still quite young and hasn’t made any major changes to the way he plays the game. What we can make out however, is how good Bale is at the moment and what he needs to do to become better next season.

At the moment, it is safe to say Bale was worse this season than last season. His shooting ability dipped horrifically while his dribbling ability saw a significant decrease in effectiveness. Only his passing improved.

But this doesn’t mean Bale is doomed to continue in this downward trajectory. With Bale gaining valuable experience this season, he can take his game to the next level by working hard on his clinical side of the game, his predatory movement, and his dribbling in tight spaces. Hopefully, if these changes are implemented, we can once again see the Bale that tore Marc Bartra to pieces and scored one of the greatest goals in Copa del Rey history.

source: managingmadrid.com

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