It’s not mystery Real Madrid are struggling with consistency at the striker position. Should they look for a new option in the form of Harry Kane or Mauro Icardi?
Finally, the 22-year-old record set by Alan Shearer in the Premier League for scoring in a calendar year has been broken. Finally, a new name emerges on the top of the European goalscoring sheets after the turn of the decade, surpassing the usual suspects of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Remember the name – Harry Edward Kane, aged 24, position: striker. We will be hearing that name a lot more in the near future and beyond.
As Tottenham Hotspur was preparing to take on Southampton yesterday, the footballing world watched in anticipation. Could Kane do it? Can he really beat Leo Messi to be the highest goal scorer of 2017?
Harry came out flying with his scoring boots on and bagged three amazing goals which took his tally to 56 goals for 2017, surpassing Messi. Many called him a one season wonder back in 2014/15 when he broke on to the scene with 21 goals. However, 2 years later, all those apprehensions have dissipated. Kane is slowly getting to the podium which belonged only to Ronaldo and Messi since 2009.
Alan Shearer congratulated the England international for his achievement and warned Tottenham that Kane could soon start scoring for Real Madrid. Could this be a reality? Probably. Does Real Madrid want him? Oh, you bet they do!
For almost a decade now, Ronaldo has been scoring tons of goals for Real Madrid. Ronaldo and Benzema forged an unbreakable bond, scoring memorable goals and breaking records at will along the way. There are no Real Madrid supporters who can forget those breath-taking combinations between those two. Time and again they provided evidence of their chemistry with unimaginable passes leading to goals (some highlights here). Surely, Benzema has etched himself in the memories of the Bernabéu faithful. After all, we are talking about the seventh highest goal scorer in the history of Real Madrid.
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However, as the saying goes: all good things must come to an end. After all these years, Benzema’s time in the Spanish capital might be coming to an end. Benzema was never a striker who can consistently score 25-30 goals every season.
Over the years, Benz created a reputation for himself for being the best striker partner for Ronaldo. He has been selfless along the way and concentrated more on the greater good of the team than on himself. However, as the years have rolled by, it seems that we are slowly losing the Karim Benzema that we all knew and loved dearly.
This season has been especially poor for the Frenchman, with just 4 goals in La Liga and 3 assists. Benz has been unlucky as he has been denied six goals by the woodwork thus far, hitting the post more than he’s hit the back of the net.
However, it can be seen on the pitch that he is no longer his normal self. Karim can no longer make those incisive runs into the box, lacks that killer across the field passes to Ronaldo, or harass the defenses as he once did. As a result, Real Madrid has been suffering in front of goals.
Last season, it was impossible to even fathom the idea of Real not scoring goals. This season, Real have failed to score in 4 games in the league and have scored just 30 goals in 16 games. With the latest defeat to FC Barcelona, the alarm bells should be buzzing in the Real Madrid boardroom as the Liga title is out of Real’s hands now.
Benzema and Ronaldo are not getting any younger and one cannot expect them to keep scoring the way they once did. The other forward option in Gareth Bale, although tipped to be the successor to Ronaldo’s throne, could never fulfill his potential due to frequent long-term injuries.
However, if Bale has any intention to prove his critics wrong, now is the time, not next season, right now! With the Los Blancos front line in disarray, ideally, the club should start finding capable replacements. Benzema’s consistent drop in form means that Real will eventually look for a new striker either this winter or the next summer.
Who will replace Benzema upfront?
With the waning Benzema, president Florentino Perez will most likely bring out his checkbook soon. Real Madrid has been linked to every notable striker on this planet with Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi and Spurs’ Harry Kane currently leading the rumor mills. An article by Alex McVey goes in-depth on the strikers that Real could possibly sign in January.
Mauro Icardi vs. Harry Kane
Icardi, a La Masia graduate, is one of the deadliest strikers in Europe at the moment. With 17 goals this season he is proving to be a world-class striker. However, Harry Kane has been in equally devastating form for Spurs this season. He has scored 16 goals this term in the Premier League. He looks set to score 30+ goals for the season and there are no signs to prove otherwise.
A quick comparison between Icardi and Kane do not reveal much difference between them this season. One point that slightly tilts the balance in Kane’s favor is that he is a proven striker in probably the most competitive league in Europe.
He has been performing consistently since breaking into the Spurs first team in the 2013/14 season. However, if Perez decides to sign a striker in the winter transfer window, it has to be Icardi. He will be able to play in the Champions League and is a certain upgrade on Benzema. In the case of Kane, Real have to wait until next summer, which will make the Engliinternational even more expensive.
Having said that, Zinedine Zidane is adamant that no striker will be signed in January. We will have to wait and watch as this story unfolds. If Real do not sign Icardi in January, Benzema will be the undisputed No. 9 for the rest of this season.
It is a huge gamble for Real Madrid. Los Blancos could very well end up trophy-less this season if Benzema fails to revive his form. The counterpoint is that if Real wait, they could choose their pick next summer.
Surely, cash is never going to be a problem for Florentino Perez and the mighty Real Madrid.
Next: Real Madrid: Marco Asensio named as a Champions League breakthrough player