Eibar 1 – 4 Real Madrid: Three Takeaways From the Match

Real Madrid defeated Eibar 4-1 in a league match in the Basque country. Alex McVey gives his initial impression with three thoughts about the match.

1. Benzema Silenced His Critics… For Now…

Complaints from the Madrid faithful surrounding Karim Benzema’s place in the starting lineup have grown to a fever pitch in recent weeks. Benzema’s profligacy in front of goal compared to Alvaro Morata’s precision has led many to believe that the Frenchman should be benched, a wish that was granted when Morata started against Las Palmas. Although Morata didn’t play poorly in that match, he had three goals (rightly or wrongly) ruled offside, ultimately failing to make an impact.

That set the stage for Benzema to reaffirm his value to Zidane, and he played his part with aplomb. Despite not having bagged a brace in league for over a year, Benzema put two in the Eibar net, assisted James on the third goal, and began the move that would ultimately lead to Asensio’s goal, sending Asensio away with a great ball over the top. When he plays with Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema’s subtle, intelligent hold-up play often goes unnoticed. His contributions fail to register in the usual metrics by which strikers are judged.

Against Eibar, though, Benzema enjoyed being the focal point of Madrid’s offense, conducting Madrid’s players in the attacking third of the pitch, and combining especially well with James, as evidenced by the graphic below.

The Benzema vs. Morata debate is far from settled, as the presence of two top-notch strikers provides Zidane with a selection headache that most managers would kill for. However, it seems as if Benzema might have just sealed his place in the starting lineup, at least for now. Hopefully this performance will keep Benzema’s boo boys quiet for at least a few weeks.