Real Madrid: Rodrygo Goes could have his breakout opportunity at striker

Real Madrid will not have Karim Benzema in their starting XI against Elche. That much has been decided, as Benzema was left out of the squad entirely. The legendary No. 9 is not injured, but he is getting some much-needed rest. To be fair, Benz looked a little tired in Wednesday’s 0-0 draw with Osasuna.

Most people expect Luka Jovic to start in Benz’s place. The Serbian international has scored this season, and he genuinely plays well when he does get minutes. Those minutes, however, are few and far between. It is not easy breaking into the lineup with Benzema around, but considering Real paid 60 million euros for him in 2019, many fans want to see more opportunities for Jovic.

And yet here we are, talking about someone who isn’t even a striker potentially playing at striker.

MARCA has an interesting lineup projected for Real Madrid at Elche. Whereas the consensus among fans is that Jovic will start up top with Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes on the wings, MARCA thinks Eden Hazard will start. Vinicius and Rodrygo will still be in the XI, but Rodrygo would start at striker.

Rodrygo could be a great striker

Before the 2020-2021 season, Rodrygo gained some muscle, with many fans speculating that he was looking to transition into more of a goal-scoring role.

Rodrygo has been unable to be much of a scorer. He is a right-footed player who prefers to attack defenders one-on-one and go for goal from the left-hand side. But with Vini on the left and playing at a high level, Rodrygo must continue to play a team-first role on the right. He mostly focuses on crossing, safe passes, and defending. He did a great job of fulfilling these roles in El Clasico, but I think we all know he is capable of so much more.

Perhaps it will all come together for him at striker if given the opportunity. What doesn’t he have to be great in the unique No. 9 role at Real Madrid? He is unselfish, smart, quick, technical, ruthless in front of goal (just ask Galatasaray or Inter Milan, for example), and has that something special in the final third.

We have yet to see Rodrygo in a central role. Or in any kind of striker role. Hell, this season, we haven’t seen him anywhere else but on the right wing, where he has to settle into a safer, more toned-down version of himself.

Carlo Ancelotti reportedly had big hopes for Rodrygo coming into the season. We have already seen Ancelotti help Vinicius focus in front of goal en route to what will be a career year. Now it is Rodrygo’s turn, but the other great young Brazilian forward at Real Madrid needs something other than focus to help him. He needs to play in a position that gets the most out of his unique quality.

With Benzema and Vinicius entrenched at those positions, a rotational opportunity at a forward spot other than the right is his best bet. I wonder if MARCA is onto something and if Rodrygo will be a surprise starter as an experiment against Elche. And if that happens, I wouldn’t put it past him to make a serious claim to start up top again, perhaps even with Benzema in the future. The tools are quite clearly there.