The Real Madrid front line needs a new plan/personnel

After their third goalless match of the season Saturday against FC Barcelona, it has become apparent that Real Madrid needs to change their strategy up front and possibly their personnel as well. Here is why.

Let me make it clear before diving into this article that this is not going to be me bashing Karim Benzema and solely him. There are several players and coaches to blame for Madrid’s lack of goal scoring thus far this season.

However, let me begin with the man whose primary job is to score goals. Karim is having probably his worst season with Real Madrid since he joined the club back in 2009 and because of his struggles, the team has suffered.

The fact that the striker has hit the post more than he has scored this season shows there is a confidence issue. Karim looks unnerved by all the boo birds that have berated him in the Santiago Bernabéu, and as a result, his play has suffered further.

Hailed as a great link up man with Cristiano Ronaldo and a striker who can drop deep into the midfield and hold the ball up, the French international has lost his ability to do any of these tasks.

Is he the only one to heap the blame on? No, of course not.

The problems stem from Florentino Perez and Zinedine Zidane’s decisions in the summer transfer window. As Alex McVey discussed in his article yesterday, and as I talked about just prior to the sale of Alvaro Morata, this team was going to regret selling Morata as well as Mariano Diaz without finding a legitimate backup player.

Plain and simple, Borja Mayoral is not a sufficient backup. After struggling on loan with Wolfsburg, there should have been warning bells going off in the minds of both the manager and the president.

Due to the lack of pressure on Karim Benzema to perform well in every outing, and seemingly no other striker option in the team, Real have taken a tumble from last season’s great success.

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Now, the blame should not fall solely on Benz or Mayoral. Cristiano Ronaldo has not been himself in front of goal. The Portuguese beast has been the go-to man for Los Blancos when they are in need of a goal and with only four goals in his first 12 matches in La Liga, it is no wonder Real find themselves lagging behind Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in the title race.

Zidane must do a better job dealing with CR7 and should look for opportunities to get him going again. Whether it is moving him centrally to play alongside Gareth Bale, Lucas Vasquez, or even Marco Asensio in a two-striker forward line, something needs to change.

That threatening link between Ronaldo and Benzema has vanished and teams only have to keep tabs on Cristiano now as Karim offers no threat or presence in front of goal that would warrant the attention of a defense.

Zizou has become too narrow-minded with his personnel and formation choices. Change is paramount if this team is to make a comeback attempt in La Liga.

Zidane needs to realize that one, Karim Benzema is in one of the worst goal-scoring droughts of his career, and two, that Gareth Bale offers a more threatening, potent attacking option compared to Benz right now.

This is not the time to play it conservative with formation and personnel choices. At this point, Real Madrid has nothing to lose and everything to win.

Whether it is adding players in the January transfer window or juggling the lineup to find a more attacking minded group, Zizou, and even president Perez, need to make some changes because clearly what they are doing right now is not working.

At all.

Next: Real Madrid: Firing Zidane after el Clásico would be a mistake

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