Karim Benzema, once again, put Real Madrid on his back and led them to a 3-1 win over Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Three goals from the Frenchman were enough for the team to carry the two-goal advantage back to the Bernabeu, where they would have to be on the top of their game to affirm their place in the semi-finals.
What did we learn from this game?
Carlo Ancelotti finally, finally gets his line-up right
This is it. This is Real Madrid’s best line-up. It only took Ancelotti about a dozen big games to realise that, but I’m glad he finally did, and I really hope this continues to be the lineup he turns to in the future.
Real Madrid went with a traditional 4-3-3 with their usual defense and midfield, but the only difference this time was that Fede Valverde started as a right-winger, in place of Marco Asensio. Thank God. I would not have been fine with seeing Marco Asensio once again have an abysmal showing. He did that against Celta, and I was not ready for him to do that against a good team like Chelsea.
Thankfully, Asensio didn’t get to play. Rodrygo, a good but inconsistent player didn’t get the nod either, and Valverde started as a winger, and absolutely terrorised Cesar Azpilicueta on the right. Not only that, he was a great presser, perhaps the most hardworking player on the pitch. The Uruguayan went back to support Carvajal, who also had one of his better performances in recent memory. Is it a coincidence that on the day Valverde starts as a winger, and the team is in proper shape, Carvajal also has an alright game for once? Maybe, maybe not.
Valverde combined with Luka Modric and Karim Benzema really well on the flank, and did everything he could to win every challenge possible. Valverde needs to become a starter, the guy’s too good to be on the bench. And there’s no right-winger that is better than him, and it’s not even his primary position. Think about that.
Karim Benzema is definitely the best player in the world right now
The second player in Champions League history to score hat-tricks in consecutive knockout games. The first one was the player Benzema took the scoring responsibility from, Cristiano Ronaldo.
I absolutely adore Karim Benzema. The guy transcends football itself. The only player that comes close to Benzema right now is Kylian Mbappe, a player that is touted to join him at Madrid next season.
Benzema now has 37 goals in 36 games this season, and has 10 in his last four appearances. Are you telling me this guy is not the best in the world? If so, then you’re lying to me, as well as to yourself.
How many times have we seen Benzema put the team on his back and go the distance in ways it hasn’t been done before? He leads La Liga in goals and assists, and now is second in the Champions League in goals this season, just one behind Lewandowski. Put Karim Benzema in that lineup vs Barcelona and the defeat probably doesn’t burn as bad as it actually did. The team relies on Benzema completely, and the Frenchman is always the first to assure them that victory, at the end of the day, will be theirs. He’s their leader. There is no one as valuable to a team as Benzema is to Madrid, and there is no one quite as good, either.
Benzema should end the season as the second-highest goal-scorer in Real Madrid history. Because of his 10 goals in the last four appearances, he is now just seven shy of equalling Raul, and if you consider the form he is in, you’d bet on him beating that tally by the end of the season. Perhaps, by the end of the month.
Karim Benzema is inevitable.
Real Madrid still have a huge problem dealing with high press
Obviously, there are a bunch of press-resistant players that help out a lot in this regard. Karim Benzema drops deep to help the team deal with the press. Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are press-resistant and drop back to help out the team. Valverde’s darting runs through the opposition’s press are incredibly helpful.
But that doesn’t mean the team deals with it well as a whole. They just do it as well as they can, considering they have players like Casemiro and Ferland Mendy, who, although have fantastic defensive capabilities, fall just short when it comes to possession of the ball.
Casemiro had a decent game overall, particularly in the first half, but I do not think it was flawless. Casemiro gave the ball away so many times over the course of the game, and I am pretty sure Chelsea’s players pressed high as soon as one of Casemiro and Mendy got the ball.
The Brazilian, particularly, put the team in very bad positions defensively with some of his clearances, some sequences where he didn’t release the ball as soon as he should’ve, and some situations where he didn’t pass to the right player.
Casemiro is capable of doing all that properly, but only when he’s not being pressed. When he’s not hounded by opposition players. And that is why they need more press resistant players, especially in Casemiro’s position. Tchouameni needs to arrive, and he should play in games just like this.
Mendy also had a few really awkward sequences dealing with Chelsea’s press, and a left-back that can deal with the press properly, as well as help Vinicius out in the offense is needed in the squad. I am not saying that left-back should replace Mendy in the starting line-up, but the option needs to be there. Here’s the twist. The option is already there. Miguel Gutierrez is great for that role, but he’s not being utilized.
To the people that are thinking, “He’s injured.” Yes, he is. But what I mean is this: If he weren’t injured, would Ancelotti even consider putting him in the lineup in place of Mendy, or at least on the bench and bringing him on for Mendy if needed? I doubt it.
Want your voice heard? Join the The Real Champs team!
That is not to say Mendy isn’t good. He is. I really like watching Mendy defend, but when the team needs other things from its left-back, Miguel should be given the opportunity.