Real Madrid: To the critics of Karim Benzema
By Hasan Karim
Following a disappointing draw against Celta Vigo, it seems sections of the Real Madrid fanbase have grown frustrated with the dip in form of Karim Benzema. While his scoring exploits may have dropped recently, the criticism is unfair.
Karim Benzema has been a huge bright spot for Real Madrid between last season and now. The Frenchman stepped up more than anyone else in the post-Ronaldo era, dragging the corpse of a lifeless Real last season. Even heading into this season, Benzema was the cornerstone for Real – his goals were huge for the team.
However, the former Lyon man has struggled since December. The goals and assists haven’t come in the same flowing fashion as they did in the first half of the campaign. Whilst the dependence on him is a concern, is that necessarily his fault?
Arguably not. Karim leads the way for goals scored and created for Real – he’s the teams third-highest chance creator and he is taking the most shots – he is the primary attacking outlet.
In fact, if you were to take away his 19 goal contributions in the league, Real would have the second-lowest total in the top six and would certainly not be sitting in the top spot. His goal contributions are worth 41 percent of Real’s total in the league, showing just how dependant the attack is on his form.
His dip has not been overly detrimental on Real though it does highlight that other attacking players need to step up. Real Madrid has scored 14 goals in the league since Benzema notched the equalizer against Valencia, the Frenchman has scored just once since.
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Of the 14 goals? Nine have been scored by midfielders or defenders – highlighting just how lonesome it is for Benzema as the team’s primary attacking threat.
That’s not to say he has been a one-man band entirely, but it does show his importance. It is no secret that Benzema is not your prototypical striker, he sacrifices himself for his team and is a key facilitator to a lot of what Real does.
Against Celta Vigo, Benzema had a tough outing but was still useful on the pitch. Winning three of his five duels, registering three shots, and actively connected with his teammates. In fact, it was his pass that put Hazard through on goal which led to him winning a penalty. There were numerous occasions throughout where he had linked up well or looked to create danger.
The other unfortunate factor is he has no competition in the squad. Jovic has not shown enough to warrant a start yet. Despite the argument that Luka doesn’t get enough minutes, many forget he started in both Supercopa games and against Zaragoza – not really doing a lot in any of them that showed he would fare much better.
Aside from Jovic? Mariano Diaz has not been fit enough to get into the conversation of even playing.
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So far this season, Benzema has contributed a total of 27 goals in all competitions. Nobody in Real’s squad comes close to matching his output. He may be in a rut right now, but as the saying goes ‘form is temporary but class is permanent.’
Naturally he is struggling since he has played the most minutes of anyone in the squad and has nearly singlehandedly led the line for Real.
He warrants the patience to rediscover his best but is equally also not playing badly. Even in his current downturn in form, he has still been producing elsewhere – less can be said for others, just look at Gareth Bale, who is nearing 400 days without a goal at the Bernabéu and hasn’t consistently performed for some time.
Ultimately, Benzema will step it up when the team needs him to do so. We saw that just last month when he put Real ahead against Atlético Madrid. Naturally, he is currently in a dip that occurs during a season, but he has shown that he can very easily bounce back.