Real Madrid gave their best effort against Barcelona on Sunday, but came up just one goal short in the El Clasico. Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 2-1 to extend their first place lead in the Spanish League standings.

By far, the most criticized player on Real Madrid has been one Gareth Bale.

According to a fan poll among Real Madrid fans, 68.3 percent of those want to see him dropped. This criticism has been mounting for some time. Back in Week 26, Real Madrid suffered a very disappointing defeat to Athletic Bilbao, 1-0. It was then that 46.1 percent of Real Madrid fans called for him to be benched. That number has obviously increased 22.2 percent over the last two weeks.

When it rains, it pours. It has also been reported that Real Madrid has suspended a club member from their facilities after he struck Bale's car when the team returned to Madrid after their loss to Barcelona.

Bale has been heavily scrutinized by fans because of inconsistent defense and his large contract. It is fair to mention that Bale actually did score a goal against Barcelona in the much anticipated Week 28 match, but a Cristiano Ronaldo offside penalty erased that.

With that loss, Real Madrid is now 21-1-6 with 64 points. Unfortunately for Real Madrid, they only have three victories in their last seven games, and their rival Barcelona is on fire. Barcelona has taken complete control of first place in the Spanish League standings with a 22-2-4 record, giving them 68 points. Real Madrid and Barcelona will not face each other again this season. As unlikely as is may seem, Valencia, who has 60 points, could overtake Real Madrid for second place in the standings.

Since Week 21, Bale has only scored in one La Liga game. He found the net twice against Levante in Week 27 in a 2-0 victory. Other than defense, Bale's biggest issue has been passing. Although Bale ranks third on Real Madrid with 12 goals, he ranks a mediocre seventh in assists with just five in his 25 la Liga games. Even James Rodriguez, who hasn't played the last seven games, has seven assists.

In the latest El Clasico against Barcelona, Bale had 17 turnovers. Maybe it's time for Real Madrid to bail on Bale.

With Bale struggling to make consistent passes, even Cristiano Ronaldo has become a victim. His goal efficiency has decreased dramatically over the last month and half after previously being on pace to break Lionel Messi's single season scoring mark of 50 goals. If Bale can't impose a reliable offense threat with Rodriguez out, Ronaldo will be double teamed all game long.

Real Madrid isn't completely out of this just yet, but it will be very difficult to overtake Barcelona down by four points with just 10 games remaining. Bale honestly isn't playing terrible, but given his contract and huge expectations, he has to play better on defense and make more accurate passes going forward.

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