Karim Benzema has been in the headlines recently. Not for the reasons you would expect. Following the heavy 2-5 defeat against Cristiano Ronaldoand Co., the Frenchman did not attend the following training sessions. The latest reports have shed more light on the situation. It seems the former Ballon d’Or winner has made some crucial demands, the failure of which will end his stay with the reigning Saudi Pro League champions. How will the upper management react to their skipper’s antics?
Interestingly, Karim Benzema started the season strongly and has 9 goals in 15 league games. However, it is his performances in the recent games that have attracted criticism. His penalty miss in the Club World Cup exit arguably being the pick of the bunch.
Karim Benzema issues ultimatum to Al Ittihad to ‘not return’
Al Ittihad’s recent form is quite worrying with 4 defeats in the last 5 games. It seems the pressure is getting to the players as seen with the Karim Benzema situation. As per Mohamed Al-Amiri, the captain told the management, “Either bring new players to the team or I will not return.” Surely, not the words you expect to hear from the lethal striker. The Frenchman is said to have missed training last Thursday.
Hence, he was not even included in the match-day squad for the game against Al-Tai. However, the match did not play out and was postponed to February. The breaking point for the Al Ittihad star seems to have been the recent display against Al Nassr. The public uproar was so much that Karim Benzema even deleted his Instagram account. Yet, as per his coach personal coach, he is not the only one to blame.
Benzema’s coach jumps to his defense with a relevant tennis comparison
The recent social media attack on the Al Ittihad captain hasn’t gone down well with Karim Benzema’s personal coach. He said, “You can’t blame just one player in a match. There are 11 players. It’s not a tennis match, it’s football.” He does have a point considering that other senior players like Fabinho and N’Golo Kante have not been at their best and have seemingly escaped criticism.
Moreover, he demanded respect for the former Real Madrid man. The coach explained, “We are talking about one of the best players in the world with the most titles and who made history in the best team in the world (Real Madrid). Respect him.” Interestingly, Karim Benzema’s situation has not been addressed by manager Marcelo Gallardo whose decision contributed to the team’s dismal display against Al Nassr.
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