A new and improved Karim Benzema?
The French striker has bagged five goals in four games needing just 2.2 attempts on goal to find the target. Last season he only managed to hit the net 12 times.
"He's totally focused on the game, alert and decisive. I've converted no-one, it's all down to Karim" affirmed Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui after the French man was on target again as Real Madrid saw off Leganes at the Bernabeu on Saturday.
Efficiency
The key statistic in understanding this transformation with the striker bagging five goals in four games is his conversion rate, needing just 2.2 attempts on target to find the net and a stat. that stands out dramatically when compared to last year's total goals tally of just 12. Since his arrival at Real Madrid in 2009, Benzema has scored 197 goals from 1.018 attempts on goal (finding the target from every 5,1 efforts). This year we already have seen a far more effective version of Karim Benzema.
This fine early season form from the Frenchman will have quietened any critics about Benzema's place in the side following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Serie A with many suggesting the club would sign a big name forward that would condemn Benzema to the bench. The signing of Mariano came about fortuitously and he will provide Lopetegui with alternative striking options as the club looks to compete in the Champions League, World Club Cup, Cops del Rey as well as the week-to-week demands of the domestic schedule.
The new front trio of BBA (Bale, Benzema and Asensio) appears to be working with three wins from three in the opening LaLiga fixtures and the statistic of Cristiano's 17 attempts on goal from his Serie A starts with no end product compared to the 16 efforts from Bale, Benzema and Asensio with seven goals will allay the worries of those fans who were worried about a goal scoring source with the departure of the Portuguese striker.
Benzema: 197 goals in a Madrid shirt
The 2018/19 campaign will be Benzema's tenth season at Real Madrid, a decade since Florentino Perez went to Bron Terraillon on the outskirts of Lyon to close the deal with the player and agent himself. This may be one of the reasons why the French forward has always counted on the unconditional support of the Madrid president as the likes of Higuaín, Morata or Chicharito have come and gone at the club. Benzema has played 416 matched in the Madrid shirt and found the net on a total of 197 times and now ranks as the sixth top scorer in all time club history, behind such luminaries as Hugo Sanchez (207), Puskas (242), Santillana (290), Di Stéfano (307) and Cristiano (450).
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