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.