Real Madrid: 5 takeaways from 1-0 win over Real Valladolid

Real Madrid need Karim Benzema to step up

After an underwhelming performance against Real Sociedad and missed chances that marred an otherwise strong match against Real Betis, Karim Benzema was downright dreadful against Real Valladolid. I’m surprised he wasn’t subbed off for Borja Mayoral sooner than the 87th minute, because he offered nothing to this game and gave away position cheaply.

Carrying little goal-scoring threat compared to the rest of his teammates during the 90 minutes, Benzema was rarely in threatening positions. He meandered around the center of the pitch, losing the ball frequently and finishing the game with three dribbles completed that went nowhere.

Benzema was Real Madrid’s most important player last season as the team’s leader in goals and assists. He’s one of the best strikers in Europe. But he’s also prone to having stretches of games where he struggles mightily, which hurts Real’s attack.

Los Blancos have good backup strikers, namely Luka Jovic, but Benzema is the guy for a reason. When he’s on his game, he produces magic. Look no further than his backheel goal against Espanyol this summer.

We need to see that Benzema, because his start to the 2020-2021 season has been woeful. Hopefully, he bounces back on Sunday at Levante. He had a big game against them last Fall, after all.