Gareth Bale said that the Real Madrid squad, the competitor in the Spanish First Division, is now working together as one unit without Cristiano Ronaldo, the former icon of the team, after the Portuguese striker moved to Juventus during the last summer transfer period.
The Welsh winger shone in Ronaldo's absence and Madrid won three of their four La Liga matches.
Bale represents the main weapon for Real with the start of the group stage in the Champions League this week, as Real will play against Rome the day after tomorrow, Wednesday, at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
"It's more comfortable (without Ronaldo)," Bale told the Daily Mail. "I think it's more collective and we're all working as a unit, not as one player."
Real's all-time top scorer, Ronaldo, was crucial to the club's successive Champions League triumph under former coach Zinedine Zidane, although Bale scored twice against Liverpool in a 3-1 win in the final in Kiev in May.
Bale came on as a substitute in the match and said he was upset about not playing the match from the start and that this anger led him to score a wonderful backhand goal.
"I was angry. Really angry, to be honest. Obviously, I felt I deserved to start the game," he said.
And with Ronaldo's absence from the scene, Bale has become a key element in the new coach's squad, Julen Lopetegui, as the defending champion prepares to start his career towards winning the fourth title in a row when he plays his match in Group G the day after tomorrow, Wednesday.
Reuters (Madrid)