Ancelotti: Bale not as dangerous as Di Maria

 

The Italian credited the Argentine as the driving force behind his side's 4-0 rout of Valladolid despite the summer signing netting his first hat-trick for the club

Carlo Ancelotti identified Angel Di Maria as the key man behind Real Madrid's 4-0 thrashing of Valladolid on Saturday, despite Gareth Bale's superb hat-trick.

The Welshman was in devastating mood as he headed in his first of the night before adding the next two in the second period to seal his first treble for los Blancos, while he also assisted Karim Benzema's strike with a stunning pass.

But Ancelotti chose to emphasise Di Maria's contribution instead, after the Argentine deputised for Cristiano Ronaldo and went on to set up Bale's opener after earlier smashing a volley against the woodwork.

"Di Maria's performance was fantastic. He was our most dangerous player and he adapts to different positions on the field," the coach told reporters after the match.

"I don't know if this was our best match so far, but we have to continue playing like this. Bale has fully adapted to the team. He has a lot of confidence and is very important for us.

"I don't have a perfect line up, I have more than 11 players. The current formation is working well. Isco is comfortable and Xabi [Alonso]'s return gave us more quality.

"I think the team is well-balanced at the moment. We defended well tonight. It was a tough match for Valladolid."

The rout is los Blancos' fourth consecutive victory in all competitions, and reduces the gap with Barcelona at the top of La Liga to three points.