Real Madrid had a brilliant last season. The Madridistas won the La Liga and Uefa Champions League in some style as they won the European double. Karim Benzema was in blistering form as he almost single-handedly knocked out all the big guns. He scored crucial goals and hattricks to lead his side to glory. But credit must also be given to the coach as he never gave up on his side at any point. There were embarrassing losses against the likes of Barcelona but that never resulted in panic at the club. Moreover, it was the loss against the Catalan Kings that made Ancelotti realize the importance of Benzema to this team.
Florentino Perez and Ancelotti are lucky to have Karim Benzema. The Frenchman at 34 years of age is aging like fine wine. Real Madrid have got a brilliant squad that would again rely on Benzema for the goals. But with every other European team strengthening their squad this summer, it will be a big mountain to climb. The likes of Barcelona, Bayern, Manchester City, and PSG are all stacked up and will do their best to knock out Real Madrid from UCL. Ancelotti knows that his side has to deliver but will require Benzema to be fully fit.
That is not the case right now. Karim Benzema suffered a knee injury in Real’s trip to Celtic earlier this week. It is a frustrating sight for the club as there is no one quite brilliant to replace Benzema as the No. 9. But Ancelotti has given a hint as to when Benzema can be back for Los Blancos.
“We will see if Benzema can play the derby on Sunday. If not he will not go with France. There are things that can happen to footballers. A natural replacement for Karim we do not have, because he is the best forward in the world. We can substitute him with players with different characteristics though.”
Can Benzema and Real Madrid deliver this season?
Real Madrid are Champions by blood. There is no one who can deny that they are the kings of Europe and might be for a long time. Their history of titles and great players says it all. This season too, they have got a world-class squad. Los Blancos were not very active in the transfer market. The only player they signed was Tchouameni from Monaco for a hefty price. That signing comes a lot in handy now that Casemiro has left the Spanish capital for Manchester.
But that does not degrade the quality of the rest of the squad. It is a squad of Champions and without Casemiro also, they can achieve great things. The likes of Benzema, Vinicius, and Modric will once again have to be on top of their game to lead Los Blancos to glory. Eden Hazard is now fit and had a great match against Celtic. Barcelona will be a big threat to their La Liga title defense having such a world-class squad themselves. It will be a blockbuster season to witness.
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