Real Madrid: Five possible strike partners for Karim Benzema next season
Karim Benzema has been the face of Real Madrid since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure in 2018. Benzema has single-handedly carried the attack since then with almost no support from his fellow forwards.
The French striker has enjoyed three brilliant individual goal-scoring seasons and will certainly be firing at all cylinders next season as well. But at the age of 33, it’s high time that Benzema receives some support in the attack.
Carlo Ancelotti’s reappointment could be a game-changer for Karim Benzema. Under Ancelotti, Benzema was the supplier to Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. He sure did score a ton of goals as well during the Italian’s two-year stint. But with Ronaldo now at Juventus and Bale’s future still uncertain, Benzema will no longer be the provider in Ancelotti’s new system.
The Italian deployed the 4-4-2 formation in his first tenure at the Bernabeu and he could go back to the same system again to curb the goal-scoring issues. In light of the previous statement, I have made a list of five possible strikers to pair up with Karim Benzema.
EDEN HAZARD – REAL MADRID
An exciting duo that we’ve witnessed in the past two seasons. Eden Hazard and Karim Benzema pair up well and share great chemistry with one another. Both of them are elite forwards, who can operate anywhere in the attack due to their surreal ball control and ability to get past defenders.
Benzema and Hazard have exchanged brilliant one-two passes to split opposition defences open and they have been exciting together. However, the main issue with this partnership is that both players tend to drift wide.
You may have noticed that Benzema and Hazard when paired together end up standing on the left-flank waiting for a pass. The French striker has the knack of going wide before darting into the centre and Hazard prefers staying on his wing. When both of them drift wide, then there’s absolutely no movement in the box which hampers the attack.
Another concern in Eden Hazard’s fitness, he’s had numerous injuries and has missed over 60 games at Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti simply cannot base his game plan for the season on Eden Hazard because it’s practically impossible for him to keep fit all season long as relapses are bound to occur. With that being said, it is a promising partnership but not one that can be sustained in the long run.