Benzema - Real's transformation expert

Chelsea's first two championships in the Champions League came when they changed their generals in the middle of a bad season (2012 and 2021). This season, the fact that Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter were fired respectively, leaving the current oars in the hands of coach Frank Lampard, can be seen as a reason for Chelsea fans to dream of a third Champions League title in the calendar. history.

But, right in front of them is Real with the reigning Golden Ball owner Karim Benzema in the squad. The achievement of 14 championships has shown Real's majestic position in the European arena. And the 4-0 victory over Barca at Camp Nou with Benzema's second hat-trick in a week served as a wake-up call that Chelsea had to face the old club in big matches.

In fact, Chelsea is the victim of Real and Benzema when they met in the quarter-finals last season. At that time, despite having the home field advantage in the first leg, the English team received a 1-3 defeat from the French striker's hat-trick. In the second leg at the Bernabeu, after Chelsea rose to win 3-1 in the official 90 minutes, it was Benzema again with a decisive goal in extra time, helping Real win the final 5-4.

The four goals against Chelsea came after Benzema scored a hat-trick against PSG in the round of 16 and before he scored three more to knock Man City out of the semi-finals. Those were the goals that raised Benzema, helping him to assert his position as one of the outstanding strikers left of his generation.

Real closed that season by setting a record of winning the Champions League three times in a row, with the shocking Ronaldo deal to join Juventus. And this is the turning point for Benzema's career, when he once again adjusted his playing style and playing style to replace his old teammate to take on the role of leader at the Bernabeu.

Since Ronaldo left, Benzema has always been Real's best scorer. The first three seasons, he reached 30, 27 and 30 goals respectively, before bursting last season with 44 goals. This season, despite the break due to injury and the burden of age, Benzema has 25 goals.

In October 2022, two months before turning 35 years old, Benzema became the oldest player to win the Ballon d'Or after Sir Stanley Matthews since 1956. Benzema has entered the legendary throne at the Bernabeu when he won 23 titles and is the second all-time top scorer in the club's history, with 348 goals.

In the first four seasons at the Bernabeu, Benzema also had to compete for the starting position with Gonzalo Higuain and of course could not have the same position as Ronaldo. "I changed the way I played to play with Ronaldo," the French striker once said. Despite being a striker, Benzema is ready to give the spotlight and even scoring opportunities for Ronaldo.

Zinedine Zidane, the coach of Real who scored a hat-trick to win the 2016-2018 Champions League, sees Benzema as a combination of both number 9 and number 10. This comes from what the country's striker has done as well as the role he takes on: creating space for Ronaldo. Another veteran coach, Jose Mourinho, also said that it is no coincidence that Ronaldo likes to play with Benzema.

Benzema himself was also satisfied with that background, before Ronaldo went to Juventus. "With Ronaldo, Real has a different style of play, and I create more," he explained. "Ronaldo really helped me on and off the pitch. But I knew I could do more, and when Ronaldo left, it was time for me to change my game, change my ambitions."

It's hard to know which is more impressive, whether Benzema was able to make the adaptation towards the end of his career or whether he had the self-awareness to realize that was necessary. Sky Sports commented: "We only know that when he adjusts to his playing style, the 35-year-old striker proves that he can meet all requirements from Real."

Benzema now appears more in the penalty area, connecting with surrounding satellites such as Vinicius, Rodrygo, Modric..., but when needed, he can still go deep to participate in a constructive role. Thanks to Benzema's intelligent movement, Real wingers are put into one-on-one situations with full-backs. Benzema is still helping his teammates to play better.

At the beginning of the season, Benzema experienced a small form of crisis, when for the first time in nearly three years, he went five games without a match. Then there was the noise when he missed the 2022 World Cup due to injury and broken relationship with coach Didier Deschamps. But he was able to regain his fitness and peak performance in the sprint stage.

"When healthy, Benzema will make a difference," coach Carlo Ancelotti praised. "Benzema has found his best form, and with his quality, the physical conditions that support that quality will make all the difference. Benzema is still one of the best players, not simply. He's the best striker in the world right now. There's no doubt about that."

Ancelotti's comment speaks to an important difference about his students. Because Benzema still retains the qualities that make him a mainstay at Real, even without scoring many goals. In La Liga this season, the French striker created 10 delicious opportunities for his teammates - a parameter that ranks in the top 6 in La Liga, and is in the top 10 players in terms of the number of successful passes. With an average of 4.86 shots per 90 minutes, Benzema remains the striker with the most shots in La Liga.

"There are more and more players like that, who get better and better after turning 30," Benzema analyzed. "I take good care of myself, pay a lot of attention to what I do, rest as much as possible, and train hard. I organize my time well and think that experience has helped a lot. That's why. because I'm feeling great, both technically and mentally."

According to Benzema, when he was 19 or 20 years old, he was obsessed with playing. But gradually, he realized that playing is not all. There are many other important things, like eating well, sleeping well, getting enough rest, going to the gym or many other things he has never done before, because football is just what happens on the pitch, in 90 minutes or so at best. 120 minutes.

"Physically and mentally, both tactically and technically, Benzema has become a super striker," commented Sky Sports. "Benzema could end his career today without changing his position in football. The problem with Chelsea and other clubs is that there is no sign of Benzema intending to give up."