Real Madrid finally rolled the dice on their new star forward, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, and it came up “snake eyes.” The Mexican striker was given a chance to earn a permanent spot on Carlo Ancelotti’s starting XI on Wednesday during Real Madrid’s Group B match against Ludogorets Razgrad.
Similar to his final season at Manchester United, Chicharito seemed out of sync with his teammates on the pitch. For most of the first half the forward, who started alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, looked lost and the offense sputtered as a result, going down into an early 1-0 hole.
Ronaldo found the equalizer in the 25th minute after a blatant dive in the box lead to a nifty penalty kick. The goal was Ronaldo’s 69th goal in Champions League, leaving him just two behind Raúl’s record of 71. Ronaldo perhaps could have had the record in this match, but it was not meant to be after an earlier penalty kick was saved by Ludogoret’s goalkeeper, Vladislav Stoyanov, and another Ronaldo goal was called back because of an offsides penalty.
Real Madrid Coach, Carlo Ancelotti had hinted two weeks ago after a two goal performance in Spanish League action against Deportivo La Coruna that Chicharito would be given an opportunity to start in the near future. True to his word, Hernandez got the start on Wednesday and looked lackluster to say the least. In 67 minutes of action, Chicharito had only one shot on goal, and was a paltry 50% on his passing, attempting just 10 passes over that span.
With the match tied 1-1 and Los Blancos opportunity to get the ever important three points out of the match slipping away, Ancelotti substituted normal starting forward Karim Benzema for Chicharito. The Frenchman did not disappoint as his impact was felt on the pitch immediately. Both the tempo, pace and chemistry returned and it didn’t take long for Benzema to score the game winning goal in the 77th minute.
Benzema’s goal was his 38th Champions League goal in only 66 appearances, the third fewest to reach that mark since Lionel Messi. Benzema’s talent on the pitch is palpable and his chemistry with teammates Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, and Toni Kroos was evident immediately. Benzema is able to find his teammates in space, and knows where they are going to be at all times. Chicharito does not. This skill might be something that could come over time, but it’s safe to say that in over three years playing in Europe, Chicharito has never shown that he is able to make his teammates better.
Chicharito is a goal scorer, usually off of set pieces or streaking to the net. He needs others (like Ronaldo and Bale) to create opportunities for him; rarely will you see him create for others. He has speed and a decent aerial attack, but at this point in his career he should not be starting over the likes of Benzema or Bale. Chicharito should stay on the bench where he has grown comfortable for the better part of three years, and come in late in the game when defenses are tired, and see if he can find a goal.
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