The Renaissance of Karim Benzema under Carlo Ancelotti

sportsczy wrote:It's that and also not forcing his way through several defenders with little chance of success...  CR7 is playing the simple pass to a teammate if a play isn't there, something he refused to do for the first half of the season on his quest to the BdO.  The problem that made me rage (and still does thinking about it lol) were as much the shots he took for himself as the lost opportunities caused by his crazy selfish play.  He just wouldn't pass the ball...  he was a black hole basically.

When CR7 plays within himself, he's magnificent for himself and the team.  i have no issue saying that.

A reasonable point, can't say I disagree completely. I will say that it's perhaps a bit overstated but it is there.

All this said, i think the BdO obssession is out of the way now and CR7 is focused on winning trophies for Madrid... as long as Bale and Benz are carrying their weight, i see no reason why CR7 would revert. Could be wrong... but it would make no sense if he did. The only thing missing in his legacy with Madrid are the number of major team trophies and i'm sure he knows that...

sportsczy wrote:All this said, i think the BdO obssession is out of the way now and CR7 is focused on winning trophies for Madrid...  as long as Bale and Benz are carrying their weight, i see no reason why CR7 would revert.  Could be wrong...  but it would make no sense if he did.  The only thing missing in his legacy with Madrid are the number of major team trophies and i'm sure he knows that...

100% true.

For the op

As some had said benz was never as bad as people claimed and yes does deserve a lot of criticism for being over weight and looking cowardly at times, but a lot of it was exaggerated(higs,falcao,kun fanboys) especially when mou started that Cat nonsense(he is such a shit man manager ).

he was definitely a scapegoat at the start of the season, which was purely agenda driven mostly for morata (higs and ozil being sold), and he had to take the blame for isco and di maria poor plays as well, then carlo panicked and benched him for barca, benz was subbed on bossed and silent a lot of mouths, he turned the corner from there imo and isco was finally dropped and the 4-3-3 became a main stay the rest is history.

kudos to Carlo since he showed a lot of faith in benzema and also developed the pure 9 part of his game to a decent level, hope carlo continues to improves this part of his game to a near elite levels.

Benzema's always done fine at club level. Every season he's managed an acceptable goal tally. As I said in the other thread, he's just outshined by Ronaldo. With Higuain leaving he's had no competition, maybe slightly from Morata at times, however he's done well this season without another top striker breathing down his neck. Hopefully he continues his good form and proves he's one of the best.

Great piece of writing, Arq. Enjoyed reading that.

Want to thank everyone for their responses and acclaim as I'm glad most of you enjoyed it.

Afterthoughts: Want I want to discuss about Benzema is what has catalysed this source of stimuli for the Frenchman. We've understood that an interdependent effort from Carlo and Zizou has given Benzema a breathable environment in which he is less pressured than the usual standards of Real Madrid as this duo has essentially created a shell for him into which he produces in his own time, straying away from the dog-eat-dog environment under Mourinho, to which eventually took its toll on everyone in the locker room. It is why the duo of Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane is quite possibly the finest partnership between manager and assistant. I suggest neutrals and Madrileños alike watch how they operate in training and the rapport they've established with a heavy locker-room.

Benzema it must be understood, is a player who thrives on as many touches as he can accumulate. Players such as Diego Costa or Mandžukić are usually daunted when they have to receive more touches than they are accustomed to, simply because they prefer navigating channels and working without the ball; letting their team-mates do the on-ball work for them.

Mourinho's system was essentially a counter-attacking system in which efficiently minimized as many touches as possible in order to transition midfield to attack swiftly and outscore the opponent. Cristiano Ronaldo and Higuain (despite his heavy on-ball role under Rafa within Napoli) flourished within the system for obvious reasons and while Benzema's goal/assist efficiency + contribution was overlooked; you could not help but point out how he was being underused.

This year, Ancelotti has produced a system in which every player in the front-flank continues to supplicate each other, more so post-BDO of Cristiano who has rendered himself more into a team player after the satiation of his award, along with the excellent team ethic of Gareth Bale and Jese Rodriguez. It has gone on to produce pivot points for Benzema in which the attack can actually centre around him without sacrificing the central integrity of the attack. Why? As mentioned, it is paramount for Benzema to accumulate as many touches as possible to which substantially fuels how he influences the game and allows himself into positions to score. He prospers within the accumulation of touches to which creates ample space for his wider peers even when he isn't deliberately creating, but by his navigation on-the ball into optimum choice of spaces.

He varies his roles in the sense that he pivots himself as the indirect SS who can actually dictate play and tempo up front (Zlatan, Cassano/Any archetypal Italian CF), while spearheading the attack to which has resulted in a more aggressive Benzema. He has further bloomed within that variable given that his largest weakness (aerial game) has improved leaps and bounds since he has inherited the lost edge of youth he possessed in his Lyon days. It also does help that Angel Di Maria's late runs from deep provides a near inverse relationship to which Benzema tends to anchor (seems more of a self-processed decision than by Ancelotti) and provides the perfect outlet to compliment him from deep, centrally.

Now that the team is increasingly playing as a cohesive unit rather than for themselves, it will be interesting to see how he can further progress in this tangent.

Only issue? Sometimes all the movement around him that eventually centres around his play results in less opportunity to pivot off the ball and get into the box to score, yet given his influence outside goals, it works tremendously for the team; even though not for his tangible stats.

When he's aggressive he actually does a great job of open space up for the team. He's been doing that very well as of late, when he wasn't imposing himself he was garbage and frankly embarrassing to watch.

Deserves a lot of credit right now (just like he deserved a lot of insults when he wasn't doing his job).

My only concern is that he is doing an Adebayor and is only playing well because he wants that new contract.

zealous if it was higuain you would say "he is burning with passion for the club" so stop it .

a lot of teams are willing to pay benzema whatever he wishes, so its pretty obvious he playing just for more than a extension, its to silence the critics and show he is one of the best striker in the world, while at madird.

chad4401 wrote:zealous if it was higuain you would say "he is burning with passion for the club" so stop it .

a lot of teams are willing to pay benzema whatever he wishes, so its pretty obvious he playing just for more than a extension, its to silence the critics and show he is one of the best striker in the world.

Hey I'm not complaining mate, so long as he keeps this up he's golden in my book lol

Also there is no need to bring up Pipita. He is one of my all time favourite players and many people like the guy for many reason, his commitment being just one of many reasons why. Higuain is a popular player and man don't let people liking him a lot bother you.

I disagree with some of your assessment Arq.

In theory, I think what you're saying is correct, or at least what I would prefer, but I haven't seen the structures you allude to take shape consistently.

Benzema receives, by some distance, the least touches of any starter on the team, while paradoxically, his use of the ball is usually the most positive.

The tangible reluctance to utilize him as a pivot option still persists, I feel as though he should be collecting the ball with his back to goal far more often than he does when play is settled, which because it's in that position his various talents naturally come to the fore. He can turn either way, shoot and pass with both feet, and it's simply less predictable than Modric's horizontal circulation.

higs doesn't bother me lol, as i said before he is more likeable for whatever reason, but that doesn't make him a better than benzema as a person or footballer, so that "gotta get that extension yo" could be used for higuain, without the bleed for the club or passionate stuff to pretty it up.

benzema is playing well cause he is happy and he is getting a lot of touches which he wasn't getting at the start of the season but the lack of touches helped him improve the #9 aspect of his game.

edit: also i bet if mou tried to help him, instead of that he is not a mou player(scapegoating), he would have turned a corner in madrid years ago, but instead he get ridicule and i have seen cr,higs, and ozil flopped in just as many games as him yet get a free pass, example ozil no more benzema to take the blame for his short comings and now everyone is jumping on him .

It was always clear Benzema would suit a possession based style more. He's a good dribbler and his link up play is good. Plus with Bale and Ronaldo playing either side of him, he has more freedom and he isn't under pressure to be the primary goalscorer.

chad4401 wrote:higs doesn't bother me lol, as i said before he is more likeable for whatever reason, but that doesn't make him a better than benzema as a person or footballer, so that "gotta get that extension yo" could be used for higuain, without the bleed for the club or passionate stuff to pretty it up.

benzema is playing well cause he is happy and he is getting a lot of touches which he wasn't getting at the start of the season but the lack of touches helped him improve the #9 aspect of his game.

Higuain is 100% full commitment. When he plays for any team you know you're getting his full effort, pretty sure no one would turn down a new contract though and a raise is a great motivator for everyone. However what comes after the raise should always be a concern when talking about any player, even Cristiano (although he quickly put to bed any concerns about that).

Anyway let's not get sidetracked, I'm happy with Benzema. This concern of mine is pure nit picking lol

sure its all good, i just think there is just a personality difference between the two and how they express themselves, not really about commitment that why i like how carlo and zidane helped by telling him(i assume) that he is a real part of the team and not some scapegoat when things get rough(mou era).

I don't think the contract is a concern at all. Benz has a 10 mil standing offer from PSG and same from City... others in the mix for less. He's not asking that price. But he is asking 8+ mil, which is reasonable. Madrid had offered him 6 mil in the summer, which he refused. But they've gotten back to the table a couple of months back and Madrid raised the offer to 8+. The only remaining sticking point is that Benz wants a 3 year extension to be added on to his remaining 2 years for a total of 5 remaining. Madrid are only offering an extra 2 years. But i think that's going to handled.

I'd only wonder if this doesn't get done before the WC...

Anyone concur or disagree with my recent post?

http://futbol.as.com/futbol/2014/03/14/primera/1394810229_582647.html

3rd highest paid athlete in France in 2013. Made 12,2 million euros... wage + image rights.

The Big Benz getting dat paper

This thread

So the Carletto-Zidane Benzema v 2.0 outperforms the B and C of BBC within the grandest stage of Spanish football, if not all of domestic football in Europe. We all knew that he would eventually put in a performance like this within Classico given his savoire faire and a hot-cold record within the tie.

Yet what separated Benzema from his more subtle self to the Classico performance, was a tenacity that has been signature of him this season. He possessed this unwavering audacity to consistently remind his markers to keep their toes tapping whether it be direct runs into the box on & off the ball or in the air, something Benzema usually was weak at, as mentioned by us. It is the zealous fervour spark that lit inside him like a blast furnace that Pique-Mascherano in all likeness did not expect from the Frenchman who's style is carved from a more subtle craft.

Sports in another thread questions on what Benzema lacks in all his completeness. So what does he lack?

Ruthlessness.

Like Zlatan Ibrahimovic or any CF of a streotypical Italian mould, Benzema for all his football bells and whistles or creativity is yet to truly break that mould. Like Zlatan, Benzema is not a natural finisher, usually creating his own goals out of chaos rather than windows of chance and odds. That is what separates Zlatan from Cristiano and more closely, Benzema from Cristiano is that ruthlessness and iniquity that accrues a striker goals beyond what their performance dictates. Benzema almost like a family man in starvation, prioritizes many more facets than his own goal accrual whereas Cristiano Ronaldo's main priority is directed towards having the ball in the net.

Yet the guilt edge finishes Benzema missed for his wonderful brace (& performance) must be looked at not because of what could of been, but it is what we expect of him if we harness the expectations that we have built for him slowly.

It is the single facet that separates him from breaking the mould from an elite striker to become a truly elite superstar that can rank amongst the finest in his generation.

He's not a pure scorer at heart.... he likes to play as part of the collective. He has a talent for scoring no doubt. But Karim's biggest assets are his technique, passing and tactical awareness.... scoring is more of a job requirement rather than something he's obsessed about.

And that's fine. It wouldn't work if he were a typical ego-driven 9 with CR7 and Bale as his teammates. He needs to find ways to make the team work and he does.

Where it has been a problem is at NT where he has to suddenly change his mentality of being a team player to one that is a goal hog. It's not a switch that you can magically turn on. 99% of the time, your personality at club is the one that will translate on to NT. I feel that with the inclusion of Griezmann, who is also a scorer, and the use of the 433 now, which is what Madrid plays, Benz can play more naturally at NT.

I don't feel that Benz needs to change his game. He just needs to keep improving on his skillset and, most importantly, impose his will on the team more. Since he's an unselfish player, the team will benefit if he imposes himself more.

"Impose his will on the team more"

Save walking up to Modric, Bale and Ronaldo and slapping them, not sure what else there's to do honestly. I think everyone and their mother can see he usues the ball better than anyone on the team, yet he happens to see the least of it. So....

There's hope there Josh... they interviewed Carlo on RMC before the CL quarters' draw and asked him about Benz. The first thing Carlo said when asked what more he wants to see from Benz was: "He has a very shy personality. That's his challenge. I want him to show his personality on the pitch much more than he is today." So Carlo wants him to impose himself.

Great stuff first of all, Arq. Paints a very vivid picture of Benzema's rise.

Next and in response to Le Sam's last post....is it possibly that Carletto is misinterpreting Benz as reserved instead of shy?

Most people who are called "shy" really aren't. They're just introverted and reserved. I get the impression that Benz falls in this category. They are not fiery personalities so I highly doubt he'll be one of those guys that throws his weight around on the pitch like Carletto wants him to. People like that just aren't wired that way.

Agreed with the latest post mainly sports that benz need to keep polishing his skillset mainly the pure 9 parts, he has now reached very good level imo, his movements, runs and aerial game are finally becoming strengths, to go along with the 9.5 style, again kudos to carlo and zidane for actually helping and improving our players, than running to the media to complain about wanting new players .

arq he doesn't need to be that ruthless, since he is a calculated shooter, he just need to get his finishing to a higher level, he is getting chances more often now and he ain't deferring to cr all the time like before, he has confidence to take games into his hands and get the job done, needs to keep that mindset, a long with the intensity and improve upon it.