Real Madrid were held to a home draw against Valladolid on Saturday where they seemed to lack the decisive touch upfront.
They took a staggering 22 shots in the game but had only four on target disappointingly.
This tally will surely not sit well with Zinedine Zidane who was obviously not happy with the fact that the team lost their offensive intensity and defensive composure in the second half which led to Sergi Guardiola stealing a point for the visiting team.
What was more confusing was the fact that Luka Jovic was left on the bench for such a large part of the game.
The €60m man was left out of the starting lineup for the second game running after an ineffectual cameo appearance on debut.
He has only played 31 minutes in total for his new club but his header against Valladolid which crashed against the post got Madrid fans hungry for more of the young Serbian.
Leaving him on the bench can do more harm than good for Real Madrid considering the fact that Benzema (30) was the only one in the starting lineup that day that scored more goals than Jovic (27) last season.
Jovic is young and with that comes a hunger for success and eager to prove oneself. Attributes most of the Madrid squad don’t have at the moment.
A strike partnership between him and Benzema makes a lot of sense too.
Jovic is not just a striker that is in for the goals alone. He can also create chances and vacate space for other attackers.
3 of his 5 assists last season were to strike partner Ante Rebic. He also had a great partnership with Sebastian Haller who assisted him on three occasions.
Benzema is an unselfish player who can get assists and create space for other forwards. Both can play off each other, create space for one another and score loads of goals as strike partners.
Formations he can play in
4-4-2
He and Benzema will play up top with Hazard (when he is fit) and Bale on the wings along with two in midfield.
Both strikers are strong in the air and we all know Madrid are a team that likes to cross. There will be lots of delivery from wide areas.
Also, one striker can drop off to link play in midfield and make late runs into the box.
4-4-2 Diamond or 4-1-2-1-2
This is a formation Zidane is familiar with. He won the Champions League in 2017 with this formation.
Three midfielders with a number 10 (Hazard or Isco) playing between the lines and a front two of Benzema and Jovic is another way to partner them up.
The width coming from Mendy and Carvajal who are good at using the space and if Hazard plays, he’ll always look to exploit the available space on the flanks.
Real won’t have to struggle with taking chances this season or have to depend on one player for goals with Jovic in the side. There will be increased confidence with the presence of another goalscorer on the team. The chances will come, all they need to do is tuck them away.
