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Is Benzema underrated, will Chicharito be a “supersub”, and who will Madrid turn to if Ronaldo leaves?

By on September 10, 2014

In a squad containing Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, it is hard to stand out. This is the problem Karim Benzema suffers from. The striker’s average tally of goals per-game ranges from a respectable .3 to .6 every season, considering he doesn’t take penalties 32 goals in 52 seasons, his tally two seasons back and best yet in a Madrid shirt, means he does more than pull his weight. But in a squad full of “galacticos”, he doesn’t stand out. Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale take all the attention. Even Madrid’s new arrival Javier Hernandez will likely occupy more attention due to his curios transfer.

But at least Benzema doesn’t mind that, at least on the pitch. He perfectly fits with Bale and Ronaldo scoring loads of goals around him, and at least Madrid trust him to keep performing – selling Alvaro Morata and Gonzalo Higuain isn’t a move to take lightly.

So where, then, will Chicharito fit in? To get the best out of Madrid’s forward based midfield, especially with Xabi Alonso’s sale to Bayern Munich, Carlo Ancelotti puts his Madrid side in a 4-3-3 with one main poacher and Ronaldo and Bale on the wings. It is more than likely he won’t change his formation; Hernandez and Benzema will have to fight for the starting position. Hernandez in fact doesn’t fit into Madrid’s current lineup, unless he replaces Benzema, an unlikely move considering the nature of his short loan move.

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There are rumors of Cristiano Ronaldo returning to Manchester United every season. This summer, as Ronaldo questioned Madrid’s sale of Angel Di Maria to the very United he is linked to, those rumors are once again running wild. In all likelihood, that move won’t happen in the next few years, but it does pose one question of Madrid – who would they turn to in that case? And Ronaldo is already 29, just a few years left before he predictably starts to head downhill. Without Ronaldo their squad is hardly weak, but currently the Portuguese winger provides them a bulk of their goals and frankly attacking threat.

Especially with Di Maria gone, a sale that looks increasingly short sighted the more you look at it, Madrid would more than likely undergo a tactical switch, though one that still provides adequate attention to Bale, Ronaldo’s likely replacement. The sale of Morata also seems a bit odd considering the forward will just be reaching a more mature age when Ronaldo will likely be on his way down or out, and a lot more weight would go onto Benzema’s shoulders. It would really test the rest of Madrid’s squad. The signing of James Rodriguez does then well in preparation, and with a few more galactico purchases Madrid would still be a very imposing team. Just, not the same team, for better or worse.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.