Saturday, 17 September 2011

Karim Benzema: More than a forward

Three goals in five official games is a figure more than respectable. They are the numbers of Karim Benzema in this early season, but Karim is much more. French is a complete striker, a player who occupies the whole front of attack and is not limited to the goal area. His capacity to associate with peers is available in very few strikers in Europe and Mourinho knows how to exploit it.

Karim Benzema in red playing for Real Madrid
Karim Benzema

Benzema is capable of playing in both wings - Alves went crazy when Karim played in the left wing in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup - and offering different resources to Real's attack. Against Dinamo Zagreb completed 22 passes correctly, only one less than Mesut Özil and same as Cristiano Ronaldo, the star of the white offensive. He did not score because he found the crossbar in the first half but was one of the best.

Few strikers can boast of not scoring at a match and be the best player of the team. Also occurred in Zaragoza, so it's no coincidence. The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium now enjoys a Benzema devoted to the cause, a tireless campaigner and the first "defender". He defends as the most and is the one to initiate defensive work to steal the ball to the opponent team. And Mourinho likes.

We do not discover anything if we say that Benzema is one of the spoiled child in the club. In the management area at the Bernabeu are reaping the benefits betting on him. They knew when they signed him that they did not sign a player for a year or two. Karim has finished exploding and the managers are delighted with his performance, because it was exactly what was expected of him. "Now he understands football as I understand it", Mourinho said. When Karim understands something, understands it beautifully.