Without Benzema, a drama

Real Madrid salvaged a point against Elche after trailing 0-2, thanks to goals from Modric and Militao. A tie that allows the white team to maintain a four-point lead over Sevilla, but which is basically bad news: Ancelotti’s team missed the opportunity to distance Sevilla to six points and, furthermore, the The duel took a significant toll with Benzema’s injury, who had to be substituted in the 56th minute due to discomfort in the hamstring of his left leg. The French retired as soon as he felt the problem as a precaution, it is to be expected that it will not have great importance; and Ancelotti had better, because what comes after the French striker is a drama.

Luka Jovic entered the match against Elche with 34 minutes to go, in addition to another four extensions, a time in which he passed without pain or glory and, of course, he did not do what was expected of him: finish off. With Madrid focused on Edgar Badía’s goal, the Serbian was unable to shoot, not even outside the three posts. His intervention in the game was anecdotal: he gave six passes, five of them good, entered a duel, lost a ball and recovered another.

The Balkan had already unexpectedly entered another game this season in place of Benzema; It was in San Sebastián against Real Sociedad, also due to physical problems for the Frenchman, and that day Jovic generated hope around his figure with an important performance: he scored a goal and gave another. But his reality is much closer to what was seen at the Bernabéu against Elche: he has gone without finishing in 9 of the 15 games he has played this season. Already in the Martínez Valero against Elche, in the Cup, he spent 79 minutes on the field without finishing off. Madrid had a hard time generating an attack that day, but at the Bernabéu he accumulated up to 16 shots, eight of them on goal, and none of them were from the Serbian, who has barely taken nine shots, four of them on goal, in 434 minutes this season.

And then there is Mariano, the other center forward in the squad, who is currently injured (he has a significant propensity for physical problems, despite the fact that he barely accumulates minutes) and who has not seen the door this season. Although it is true that he has participated much less: he has made five shots, one of them on goal, in 178 minutes. In his only start in the League he got tired of trying, with four shots; Luck was not on his side, although at least he assisted Vinicius for one of the two goals. It was precisely against Elche, at the Martínez Valero.

Benzema and Vinicius, the kings of the goal

The point is that, with all the circumstances included, Benzema’s two substitute strikers have scored one goal and two assists in 612 minutes played between them, a very scarce baggage that contrasts with Benzema’s numbers, for whom luck was very elusive at the Bernabéu against Elche (he even missed a penalty), but he is an irreplaceable piece of the Madrid offensive: 24 goals and 9 assists so far.

Without Benzema, Ancelotti must hand over to Vinicius (15 goals so far), as the team’s third scorer (Asensio, with seven) is also injured. Jovic arrived at Madrid in the summer of 2019 after an impressive course with Eintracht Frankfurt (27 goals) that justified the payment of 60 million euros; Mariano, in 2018 after a breakout season at Olympique de Lyon (21 goals and 6 assists). But between the two they seem to have little chance of resolving Ancelotti’s ballot if Benzema’s problem turns out to be more serious than simple muscular discomfort.