Real Madrid News
Key Real Madrid forward’s continuity at the club under a cloud of doubt – report
After enjoying a dream campaign in 2021/22, when he led Real Madrid to La Liga and the UEFA Champions League triumphs, Karim Benzema has had a wretched season so far.
The Frenchman has contributed with goals and assists, but the issue is that he has been bogged down by constant injury problems this term, having missed already nine La Liga matches and three more in other competitions.
Earlier today, manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that Benzema will be unavailable for tomorrow’s La Liga encounter against RCD Espanyol either due to ankle discomfort.
The Real Madrid manager insisted that his club captain remains an important cog in the team, while also brushing off the recurring injury issues.
However, according to The Athletic’s Mario Cortegana, there are some doubts about Benzema’s continuity at Real Madrid beyond the ongoing campaign.
The 35-year-old will be out of contract with Los Blancos this summer and is yet to sign a new deal, even though some reports had suggested that a one-year extension had been triggered when he won the Ballon d’Or.
There are understood to be some growing concerns over Benzema’s fitness issues within Real Madrid, although Ancelotti and club president Florentino Perez continue to have total faith in the veteran centre-forward.
What is becoming clear is that Los Blancos cannot afford to go into the next season with just Benzema as their striker, provided he renews his contract. Alvaro Rodriguez is showing signs of promise but still does not have the requisite experience at the level needed for a Real Madrid player.
So, bringing in another striker to compete with Benzema and eventually replace him, would be the ideal way to go forward. But, plans could change drastically if the Frenchman does not continue beyond the current season.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid locker room angry with Barcelona midfielder’s ‘unsportsmanlike’ behaviour – report
While the evident frustration among the Real Madrid players was quite visible following the recent 1-2 defeat against Barcelona, the feeling of vexation was not really limited on the field.
Journalist Mario Cortegana, while writing for The Athletic, has confirmed that once the players got into the dressing room, the environment had an air of anger and frustration.
Players from each team had a go at each other right till the end, especially the likes of Dani Carvajal and Arnau Tenas, who had to be separated by several members from both teams.
Interestingly, before the aforementioned incident, Barcelona midfielder Gavi was already causing some trouble on the field. The youngster did not shy away from putting his body on the line throughout the game and it annoyed Madrid players to the extreme.
First, he pushed Carvajal in one incident and after that, he entangled himself in an off-the-ball clash with Dani Ceballos. The Madrid midfielder first had a collision with Robert Lewandowski and as the game moved on, Gavi made note of the incident.
During the run of play, Gavi pushed Ceballos with his shoulder and it did not settle well with the Madrid players and manager Carlo Ancelotti. The players and the manager were disturbed by Gavi’s behaviour and considered it ‘unsportsmanlike’.
On the other hand, there was frustration involving refereeing decisions as well. It must be remembered that in the 82nd minute, Marco Asensio found the back of the net to send the Madrid fans into a frenzy.
The celebration, however, was cut short as VAR disallowed the goal for an extremely tight offside. “We are sad, frustrated,” a dressing room source told The Athletic. “What happened? A guy looking at a TV in Madrid has decided La Liga.”
Ancelotti, on his part, said: “The disallowed goal? I don’t know, I really don’t know. I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know. I’m leaving with this doubt. If the VAR is sure.”
“I leave this match very proud. I don’t think we deserved to lose today,” he added.
Pat Grey
March 10, 2023 at 6:33 pm
RM should have since recruited at least one or two strikers ahead of this season. But they were too shortsighted not to have seen the ageing of its key striker. Now it’s too late to win anything this season with the weakened striking capability of the team.