Real Madrid star Gareth Bale has gone seven games without a goal, and there seems to be a simple reason why: He's not shooting nearly as much.

His newfound shyness in front of goal has come after he was jeered by some sections of his own fans during games against Espanyol and Real Sociedad for "his apparent selfishness."

Now, AS has been crunching the numbers to see if there is a correlation between his drop in form and the jeering from supporters. The numbers are pretty convincing.

Per the Spanish newspaper's English-language website:

Since the Real Sociedad game, Bale has shot on goal 12 times in 540 minutes of playing time, a shot per 45 minutes on the pitch. This is well below his previous average of a shot per 22 minutes of playing time in all games pre the La Real match.

This change has seen a serious consequence. Bale isn’t scoring. He’s played seven games without finding the net (630’), his last goal coming at Córdoba on January 24, and this was from the penalty spot. This is Bale’s longest goal scoring drought since joining Madrid in 2013.

Real Madrid will be hoping the Welshman finds his shooting boots as the season enters a critical point.

The European champions currently hold a slender two-point lead over fierce rivals Barcelona at the top of La Liga's table, and the two sides are scheduled to meet later this month.

[AS]