Is Benzema suffering from fatigue? Can Mariano be the solution to Real Madrid’s striker problems?
Mariano Diaz returned to Madrid after a successful stint at Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyon. With his time at Lyon, he was integrated into the system rather quickly. They immediately saw the high motor, creativity, and finishing ability Mariano had to offer. He played as a centre-forward for the French side scoring 21 goals in 30 starts. With 18 of those goals coming from within the league he found himself tied for a top 5 spot in the entire league for goals, along with 2 of his other teammates.
Mariano was a late signing for Madrid and actually wasn’t going to be brought in until Sevilla was able to activate a release in his contract with Lyon. Then Real Madrid came in and swooped him away from Sevilla giving Mariano the return he dreamed of. He has made remarks about Madrid claiming ‘when they make the call they are hard to say no’ to, cementing the respect and opportunities he has from the club.
At 25 years old Mariano has plenty of time to make a stamp on his career. With Benzema getting up there in age this seems to be the opportunity for Mariano to show the world why he took the iconic number “7” jersey for Los Blancos.
So far this season we have only seen three appearances from Mariano, he has only played 78 minutes for the club. In these minutes he was able to score a beautifully curled bender to the top right in Italy against Roma in the Champions League.
The lack of minutes has some Madrid fans confused after they got to experience that goal in Italy, also with Benzema having somewhat inconsistent form, and getting up there in age, it would seem this is a perfect opportunity to show the world, Mariano Diaz. The question is when do we finally get to see him start and play the majority of a match.
It seems so far that when Madrid needs a burst of energy offensively, and to keep the pressure high Mariano is the answer for that. The problem is he is not getting into the game early and often enough to make a significant enough impact.
What Madridistas want to see is the torch being passed down to their new number 7, there have been glimpses of magic from the man, and if he is given more opportunity such as the likes of Ceballos and Asensio expectations will not be let down. Especially with Mariano hoping for a call-up from new Spanish National team coach Luis Enrique.
The player is Dominican born, but hoping for a call-up with the Spanish national team after playing in Spain for years. With the uncertainty of who will be starting up front for La Roja, Real Madrid could give Mariano the best chance of stealing the spotlight on the international level as well.