Clanregeln » 1-1 Australia - World Cup qualifier, Saitama

Gareth Bale hasn’t had it easy at Real Madrid but he returns to England in rich form, writes Adam Bate...In the week following Riyad Mahrezs PFA Player of the Year award, the 2013 winner returns to these shores to face Premier League opposition for the first time since his departure from Tottenham.Gareth Bale will be in the Real Madrid team for their Champions League semi-final against Manchester City - and he is in fine form too. No issue with Ronaldo Gareth Bale insists there are no problems between him and Cristiano Ronaldo. Such are the extraordinary demands at Madrid that, despite scoring the winner in a Champions League final, his three seasons with the club have not been without their difficulties. And yet, Bale has directly contributed to 28 La Liga goals this season - 18 goals and 10 assists. Thats the same total as Mahrez in the Premier League and hes managed it in a fraction of the game time.Indeed, Bales goals alone have come at a rate of one every 87 minutes this season. Thats better than both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Rivals for his role in the side such as James Rodriguez and Isco have proven nowhere near as effective despite having received some very public backing. Best strike rates in La Liga Player Team Goals Mins per goal Karim Benzema Real Madrid 23 80 Luis Suarez Barcelona 34 85 Gareth Bale Real Madrid 18 87 Imanol Agirretxe Real Sociedad 13 90 Lionel Messi Barcelona 25 98 Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid 31 99 Bale had begun the season under fire, a legacy of last seasons struggles. He was jeered by Real fans in a friendly against Galatasaray and a Marca poll put him out of the starting line-up on the eve of the campaign. A similar vote in AS saw him scraping into the team but only ahead of Karim Benzema and with a fraction of the votes of James and Isco.Rafa Benitez, then manager at the time, was unconvinced by those arguments. If you analyse Bales movements, youll see they give the team respite, he told AS. Isco and James develop play between the lines, but not Gareth. He creates spaces and looks to makes runs behind the defence. As a result, Benitez looked to increase Bales involvement. Bale scored twice as Real Madrid came from behind to beat Rayo Vallecano The two discussed his role in the side at the start of the season and Bale was allowed to go in search of the ball in central positions. While 61 per cent of his touches in last seasons Champions League were restricted to the right flank, its been only 30 per cent this season. Hes enjoyed it. No wonder he was reportedly unimpressed when Benitez was sacked.Fortunately, Bale has found another admirer in Zinedine Zidane. As long ago as 2013, the new Real boss had confirmed as much to Sky Sports. Hes unique, said Zidane. He makes things look easy, his pace is frightening and his acceleration is unbelievable because of his ability to go through the gears in very little space. Zidane hails Bale Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane praised Gareth Bales performance against Rayo Vallecano. So while the whispers were that Benitezs exit could precipitate changes to the forward line and a chance for James to reignite his Real career, instead it is Bale who immediately produced his best form. A hat-trick against Deportivo La Coruna in Zidanes first game in charge was particularly timely. Bale has been impressed with the impact Zinedine Zidane has made since taking over in January In my opinion, his performance against Deportivo was his best display in a Real shirt, Guillem Balague told Sky Sports. Soon, Zidane was talking of Bale being a key player for the squad and someone he was determined to give all the care and support he needs. They are words that Ronaldo and the rest can hardly have failed to pick up on. Bale feels the confidence of Zidane but more than that he actually feels that Ronaldo sees him as a star, not just a friend of the president. Guillem Balague Its the fact he can now move freely and more importantly its accepted by both Ronaldo and Benzema, added Balague. Bale feels the confidence of Zidane but more than that he actually feels that Ronaldo sees him as a star, not just a friend of the president. Thats the biggest thing thats happened to Gareth Bale.And so, he arrives in form, impressing with two goals against Rayo Vallecano in a comeback win at the weekend. His first goal was a header - an eighth in La Liga this season, more than anyone else in Europes major leagues and the sort he has spoken of working on every day at Valdebebas. The second was a brilliant solo effort. Zidane rated the display as phenomenal. Head boy Gareth Bale has found the net with eight headers this season - more than any other player in Europes major leagues. As a result, the mood has changed - as it can among supporters who booed Zidane, Ronaldo and even Alfredo Di Stefano in the past. Bale is in shape and in form, a player who has grown on and off the field as a result of his experiences in Spain. He left as the best player in Britain. He returns better than ever.Also See:Man City v Real Madrid previewZidane hails phenomenal BaleFabian Delph England Jersey .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers. Phil Jones England Jersey .com) - The women will also have a new champion at the Australian Open. http://www.englandsoccerpro.com/Ashley-Young-England-Jersey/ . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. Gary Cahill Jersey .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. Marcus Rashford Jersey . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins.AUSTRALIA v JAPANWorld Cup qualifier, October 11, 8pm AEDT, Etihad Stadium, MelbourneAUSTRALIAWorld rank: 45Coach: Ange PostecoglouCaptain: Mile JedinakQualifying route: Finished top of Group B (7 wins, 1 loss)World Cup record: Four appearances (1974, 2006, 2010, 2014)Third-round qualifying results so far: Australia 2-0 Iraq, UAE 0-1 Australia, Saudi Arabia 2-2 AustraliaKey man: Tomi Juric. The beanpole striker has emerged from Tim Cahills shadow to become Australias main route to goal in this crucial qualifying phase.JAPANWorld rank: 56Coach: Vahid HalilhodzicCaptain: Makoto HasebeQualifying route: Finished top of Group E (7 wins, 1 draw)World Cup record: Five appearances (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014)Third-round qualifying results so far: Japan 1-2 UAE, Thailand 0-2 Japan, Japan 2-1 IraqKey man: Genki Haraguchi. The 25-year-old Germany-based attacker has goals in his past two starts for Japan and as a left-sided forward will test Australias problem area on the right of defence.HEAD-TO-HEAD HISTORYAustralia and Japan have played 23 times - Australia have won seven times, Japan have won eight times and their have been eight draws.Australias most recent win came in Melbourne in a World Cup qualifier in June 2009, six matches ago.RECENT MEETINGSNovember 22014 - Japan 2-1 Australia - Friendly, OsakaJuly 2013 - Japan 3-2 Australia - East Asian Cup, South KoreaJune 2013 - Japan 1-1 Australia - World Cup qualifier, SaitamaJune 2012 - Australia 1-1 Japan - World Cup qualifier, BrisbaneJanuary 2011 - Australia 0-1 Japan - Asian Cup final, QatarJune 2009 - Australia 2-1 Japan - World Cup qualifying, MelbourneFebruary 2009 - Japan 0-0 Australia - World Cup qualifying, YokohamaJuly 2007 - Australia 1-1 (pens: 3-4) Japan - Asian Cup quarter-final, VietnamJune 2006 - Australia 3-1 Japan - World Cup, GermanyROAD TO RUSSIACurrent standings in Australias group: (top two sides reach the 2018 World Cup, with the third-placed team sent to a play-off)1.dddddddddddd Australia: 7 points (Wins: 2, Draws:1, Losses:0, +3 Goal Difference)2. Saudi Arabia: 7 (W:2, D:1, L:0, +2)3. UAE: 6 (W:2, D:0, L:1, +2)4. Japan: 6 (W:2, D:0, L:1, +2)5. Iraq: 0 (W:0, D:0, L:3, -4)6. Thailand: 0 (W:0, D:0, L:3, -5)AUSTRALIAS REMAINING FIXTURESThailand (A) November 15, 2016Iraq (A) March 23, 2017United Arab Emirates (H) March 28, 2017Saudi Arabia (H) June 8, 2017Japan (A) August 31, 2017Thailand (H) September 5, 2017 ' ' '