Real Madrid continued their perfect start to the season with a 2-1 win over Real Betis, meaning that they have won all four of their La Liga games in this campaign till now, with three of them being away from home. It was great for them to make a triumphant return to the Santiago Bernabeu as well, with Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo finding their names on the scoresheet for Los Blancos while Sergio Canales scored for the visitors.
One man who did not look at his best once again though is Karim Benzema. The Frenchman has not made the brightest start to the campaign. He did score an important brace against Espanyol in the last match, but even on that occasion, he was having a frustrating outing before finding the back of the net in the 88th minute.
One complaint that most Real Madrid fans have had this season is that they do not have a genuine back up to Benzema up front, who can be brought off the bench when the Frenchman is not playing at his best.
Carlo Ancelotti does not seem to agree with that idea though. As reported by Marca, the Real Madrid manager said after the 2-1 win over Real Betis:
"“It is not true that he does not have substitutes, he has many, like Mariano, Hazard, Rodrygo, sometimes Asensio and even Modric, although it did not go well.”"
Ancelotti makes surprise claim about Benzema having substitutes at Real Madrid
Out of the players that Ancelotti named, the only recognised forward amongst them is Mariano Diaz. And his return to Real Madrid has not gone as expected.
On the other hand, the likes of Eden Hazard, Rodrygo, Marco Asensio and Luka Modric would have to play more of a false nine role, if they want to replace Benzema and it is safe to say that their finishing is nowhere near that of the Frenchman.
Benzema is the hot favourite to win the Ballon d’Or this year and has been one of the best players in the world for a while. This early in the season, there is no need to panic. But if he continues to struggle in front of goal, it might be a worry for Real Madrid.