Real Madrid problem: The curious case of Karim Benzema
By Najam Arfeen
Is under-performing Benzema the root of Real Madrid’s problems?
There are very few players in world football who can divide a fan-base like Karim Benzema. Now into his ninth season at the club, the French forward has only ever been able to garner the admiration of the Bernabéu in spurts. On a good day, he will be lovingly referred to as ‘Big Benz’ – but on a bad day, he’s quite literally likened to the anti-Christ.
With Real Madrid struggling to build momentum this season, the latter of the aforementioned opinions has been the more prevalent. Benzema can seemingly do no right, and the lack of striking alternatives has only made matters worse. The club’s decision to let go of Álvaro Morata in the summer without an adequate replacement has proved controversial – with the inexperienced Borja Mayoral struggling to fill the void.
On current form, there is absolutely no doubt that Benzema deserves to be benched. He’s been criminally ineffective in front of goal and his unconventional playmaking style is also failing to deliver. The problem, however, is that much of the blame that the Frenchman receives is misplaced. Madrid’s failure to reinforce their front-line should not be attributed to a single player, and neither should their underwhelming form.
Los Blancos’ current goal-scoring problem is a collective issue and has affected all of the squad’s most prolific players – most notably Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward’s performances in Europe have masked his domestic shortcomings, as he has amassed only four goals in 15 games thus far. Compared to Benzema’s two goals in as many games, CR7 is still better off – but these statistics are indicative of a larger problem.
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Confidence is noticeably low around the pitch and while certain individuals may be more at fault than others – isolating them is counter-productive. In Benzema’s case, scoring goals has never been his forte. With 185 goals in 385 appearances (7th in the club’s all-time top scorers), he averages less than 0.5 goals a game for Real Madrid. It is his overall contribution to the team’s attacking play that has made him invaluable – and his recent struggles in that department are holding him back.
Luckily for Benzema, his manager happens to be his biggest supporter. Zidane refuses to turn Benzema into a scapegoat for the club’s inconsistency – and rightly so. An upturn in the team’s fortunes will only occur if the players pool their talents together, and their number nine is imperative to any success. Ronaldo and Bale, who profit off their target-man, will also be hoping to rekindle their deadly triumvirate.
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That being said, the winter transfer window gives Real Madrid the ideal opportunity to find a suitable Plan B; specifically one who can fashion some healthy competition amongst the ranks and bring out the best in the club’s leading marksmen. After all, if there’s one thing the club ought to learn from last season’s fantastic performances, it’s that star-power within the squad is always a blessing.