Benzema the fall guy as Real Madrid flounder
madrid — In a recurring theme of Real Madrid’s stuttering season, Zinedine Zidane protested all his side lacked was a goal as they fell 10 points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona after firing more blanks in a bad-tempered Madrid derby.
Yet, in attempting to defend a lacklustre performance from Saturday’s stalemate at Atletico Madrid, Zidane turned the spotlight once more on the misfiring Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
Ronaldo’s run of one goal in eight La Liga games has attracted more attention because it is so out of character for a man who has plundered 414 goals in 408 games as Madrid’s all-time top scorer.
The World Player of the Year has also bagged six goals in four Champions League games to compensate for a slow La Liga start.
Benzema, by contrast, has just two goals in nearly 1,000 minutes on the field this season in all competitions and patience with the Frenchman is wearing thin.
Madrid-based sports daily Marca described the repeated presence of Spanish wonderkid Marco Asensio on the bench for Real’s biggest games as “incomprehensible”, after Asensio posed more of a threat for the final 15 minutes than Benzema had for 75 before being hooked. Marca’s rival publication AS described Benzema as a “ghost striker” for his lack of end product. Zidane has been a fierce defender of Benzema’s role as a team player not just a goalscorer.
“Karim won’t score 60 goals a season, but he will score 25 or 30 and make 30-40,” he said.
A return to form to secure Real’s place in the knockout phase for a 21st consecutive season when they travel to Cypriot champions APOEL Nicosia on Tuesday is needed to quieten the critics once more. — AFP