Gareth Bale, Benitez's big signing

Gareth Bale is the big challenge facing Rafa Benitez. Too often he has cut an isolated figure. Under Carlo Ancelotti he failed to deliver consistent excellence.

The Welsh wizard needs to show more composure. There is nothing worse than playing with the mindset that your every move needs to be unrepeatable. Football is all about repetition. We will know he has stepped up not when he racks up more goals or assists, but rather when he no longer looks like a square peg in a round hole.

Benitez's fluent English is no minor matter because it will help him to get the message across that everyone has to defend, even Bale - and even if he gets restored to his favoured left-wing spot.

The new coach will hope to inspire a turnaround in Bale akin to what happened with Paco Gento. Like the legendary Cantabrian at the beginning of his Bernabeu career, the former Tottenham schemer has been running out of pitch for the last couple of years as he's struggled to adjust to the tempo. As a Real Madrid man through and through, Benitez will surely spot the parallels and know what to do, teaching Bale to put the brakes on and keep an eye on opposition defenders rather than racing down the field without looking in the rear-view mirror.

With acres to run into, Bale has showcased his power, but it is over shorter distances that teams are most often beaten. Benitez will have to find a way to put the Welshman on the same wavelength as the playmakers and finishers because, like Gento, Bale is a player who can make the difference if he is integrated into the machine, rather than raging against it.