Real Madrid: The pros and cons of playing Karim Benzema and Luka Jovic together

LACK OF DEFENSIVE COVER AND FREQUENT FORMATION CHANGES

Carlo Ancelotti has already been criticised for his frequent formation and starting eleven changes this season. It seems like the players are not fully aware of their roles as they are assigned different responsibilities in each game.

If Ancelotti now decides to incorporate Luka Jovic and Karim Benzema into the starting eleven, he’ll have to revert to a 4-4-2.

If he does go for a 4-4-2, the midfield selection becomes quite a cumbersome task given the plethora of options. While Vinicius and Rodrygo take the right-wing, the likes of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Federico Valverde, and Eduardo Camavinga would have to compete for the double pivot position.

Another issue would be a lack of defensive cover. While Karim Benzema is an aggressive presser of the ball, Luka Jovic is the complete opposite. The Serbian does not press aggressively and rather waits for moments where he can press and converse his energy levels. The 23-year-old does not trackback as well leaving a lot of room to cover for the midfielders.

The wingers would also have to put in an extra shift to compensate for Jovic’s lack of pressing and this might hinder their ability and energy levels in the final third.

LUKA JOVIC COULD GET COMPLETELY ISOLATED BECAUSE OF BENZEMA

If Carlo Ancelotti does play Jovic and Benzema together, there is a possibility of Jovic being completely isolated in the box and being marked by several defenders which ultimately eliminate his lethal presence.

If you ask me why? When Karim Benzema gets that tidbit of extra freedom ( for example when he plays with Hazard or Jovic who engage defenders) he likes to then drift wide, droop deep and tend to go a bit overboard with his involvement in the play thus eliminating possible options into the box for a player who is well-positioned.

We’ve seen this often as sometimes the likes of Vinicius or Jovic could be waiting in the box for a cross but Benzema is far out wide on the wing with the ball and eventually, the defenders cover up the space leaving no room for a possible attack.