In my previous article on The Real Champs, I wrote about three Real Madrid players who deserve more minutes under Carlo Ancelotti with one of them being Luka Jovic. In today’s write-up, I will discuss why Carlo Ancelotti must consider playing Jovic and Karim Benzema together while also analysing the pros and cons of this potential partnership.
`Real Madrid have undergone a slump in form in their last three fixtures- a draw to Villarreal and two successive losses against Sheriff in the UEFA Champions League and RCD Espanyol in La Liga. In the past three fixtures, Real Madrid have only scored three goals while conceding four in the process.
Fingers have been pointed at Carlo Ancelotti due to the frequent changes in the starting eleven and formations each game. While this slump in form is not going to last forever, a club of Los Blancos’ stature has to bounce back immediately and Ancelotti is well aware of the fact.
Against Sheriff and Espanyol, Real Madrid looked slightly better when Luka Jovic came on mainly because Karim Benzema got more freedom to operate since the opposition defence were busy marking Jovic. We got close to scoring the equaliser against Sheriff and even scored the only goal against Espanyol after Jovic’s introduction.
MORE FREEDOM FOR BENZEMA TO OPERATE AND MORE CHANCES FOR JOVIC
We’ve seen Luka Jovic and Karim Benzema start twice together last season under Zinedine Zidane. The first time they started together was against Real Betis in La Liga but it was quite clear that both the strikers lacked chemistry and it just did not work out. In the following fixture, Zidane once again opted for a Benzema- Jovic partnership and it was exciting to watch.
This season we’ve been seeing the two pair up late in the game whenever Ancelotti sub’s in Jovic. The Serbian’s introduction immediately gives Karim Benzema more freedom to operate making him far more lethal as he’s simply more than just a goal-scorer.
I mean look at Benzema’s goal against Espanyol that was ruled offside. Luka Jovic came on and kept the backline busy, Benzema dropped deep and started a one-two pass sequence before the ball was laid off by Jovic and Benzema rounded off the keeper to roll it into an empty net. It was a pity that it was offside but we once again witnessed how Benzema gets more space to play with Luka upfront.
Against Valencia, for example, Benzema looked more lethal when Jovic was introduced and eventually scored the winner through a towering header due to the space created in the box as the defenders were busy marking the Serbian.
It’s no secret that Karim Benzema is currently in the form of his life and he can take his goal-scoring numbers to the next level if he plays alongside Luka Jovic more often this season. Likewise, Benzema’s playmaking skills are second to none and a few of his slick passes could end up being golden opportunities for Luka Jovic to get amongst the goals.
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.
FINAL VERDICT
As I mentioned at the start, the few minutes that Karim Benzema and Luka Jovic have played together this season have been promising. Carlo Ancelotti should continue using the tactic of bringing on Jovic in the second half and pairing him alongside Benzema for a more attacking approach.
In fact, the Italian can consider even starting the two together in October Osasuna or Eibar in La Liga. But it’s highly unlikely that this would be a permanent approach given the cons that I have mentioned. Ancelotti would most likely consider playing the two together from time to time rather than completely changing the team set-up to a 4-4-2 to accommodate both the strikers.
Another reason why Ancelotti may not frequently use Jovic and Benzema together is because the Italian previously stated that he wants to use Jovic when Benzema needs a rest.
Carlo Ancelotti has Luka Jovic in his plans and he likes the forward but views him more as a backup to Benzema rather than as a partner. Having said that, I believe Ancelotti could experiment starting the two together sometime but not would be permanent or an often sighting.