This is called a big chunk. On their way to the knockout stages of the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain meet Real Madrid on Tuesday February 15 (9:00 p.m.). An adversary that we no longer present, or rather that we no longer have the habit of presenting, because his record precedes him on the one hand but also because of a new phenomenon.
The White House no longer monopolizes all the light of the spotlight as in the days of its Galacticos (Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham…). The competition tends to make more noise than her since the last of her 13 C1 titles in May 2018. Mediatically but also on the field.
After two consecutive (and abnormal) eliminations from the eighth of the competition, the Meringues raised their heads last season by imitating the course of PSG with a defeat at the semi-final stage. Then Carlo Ancelotti took over to launch Real into a new era. And if the results are satisfactory for the time being, the Madrid club still has a long way to go to recover its place at the top of European football.
A transition on track
It takes courage to put away the recipe that won you everything. Real Madrid have agreed to do so. Exit the Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Raphaël Varane and other Zinédine Zidane. The most obvious symbols of his three consecutive crowns in the Champions League between 2016 and 2018 have cast off.
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After three seasons of trial and error, with only one title in its national championship and a return not as conclusive as expected from Zidane on his bench, Real has regained balance in 2021-2022 under the orders of Ancelotti. The current leader of La Liga, who is four points ahead of Sevilla FC, gives off an impression of stability by contrast with his Barcelona rival in distress.
A few months were enough to forget the Varane-Ramos hinge dismantled last summer, today articulated around Eder Militao and David Alaba. The other good news is the progression of the Brazilian nugget Vinicius Junior. Taunted for his irregularity, his bad choices and his individualistic tendency (“he plays against us” had even dropped Karim Benzema in October 2020), the twirling winger has become a reliable and above all formidable weapon in rapid transition with already 15 goals scored this season.
An addiction to Karim Benzema…
But with the departures of some of the historics, the last vestiges of the hat-trick have taken over the bulk of the team’s responsibilities. The Casemiro-Modric-Kroos trio has been brought up to date in the middle after several seasons of eternal alterations. Above all, Karim Benzema has become the star of the team.
After an exceptional year 2021, not far from allowing him to win the Ballon d’Or (4th in the final ranking), the French international is on the basis of a new stratospheric season despite his 34 years (already 24 goals and 9 assists decisive). The problem for Real is that everything is harder when they can’t count on ‘KB9’.
@Benzema at a press conference! #UCL pic.twitter.com/3RRkCho76N
— Real Madrid CF (@realmadridfra) February 14, 2022
“Real cannot score without Benzema“, pointed out the Spanish media Mundo Deportivo in an article published on its website on Sunday. His absence has been particularly felt since his hamstring injury contracted against Elche on January 23. And nothing says that he is completely recovered to elbow against Paris, even if he is one of the players summoned by Ancelotti on Tuesday.
… and the last sawtooth releases
The round of 16 does not necessarily come at the best time for Real Madrid, whose performances have been less good since the start of the calendar year. The Meringues even fell on January 2 on the road to Getafe (0-1) when they had not lost for 3 months in all competitions. They were then eliminated in the quarter-finals of the King’s Cup against Athletic Bilbao (0-1).
Recently, it is the poor offensive performance of the team that challenges. Real have scored just one goal in their last three outings, converting just one of their 48 shots. It also remains on a goalless draw at Villarreal (0-0) which left its mark, with a controversy around a penalty not awarded after contact between Vinicius and an opposing defender.