Season 7: SMW Superstars Episode 22: Karim Benzema

Soccerblog 4 Minutes

Here’s an interesting way to start off this episode…. Lewandowski or Benzema? 🤔 Okay, I’LL ANSWER IT…. But you gotta stick around until the end of the episode…


Now then, when it comes to F(C)‘’s who do way more that just score goals, there is arguably no better player that comes to mind than the big French man. Karim Benzema has been touted as a future star ever since he joind the Lyon youth set up way back in 2004. Over the next 5 years, he had been scouted by the likes of Manchester United, AC Milan and Chelsea, but it was Los Galacticos that won his pick, and we all know how his time turned out there. Before we get straight into the SMW info, it is important to understand that Karim has gone through many different evolutions as a player based on team circumstnces. Firstly, he was signed as a slim, fast and deadly ‘Finisher’ who was lehal on both feet and had exceptional movement. He then converted into more of a work man like ‘General Forward’ to incorporate the signings of superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Garteth Bale. His final evolution occurred after both Ronaldo and Bale left, and Karim was left with the mantle of being the main man, and he has shown the entire footballing world that he has never lost ANY of his capabilties that he had when he started out at Lyon which culminsted to him being crowned the best player in the world during the 2022 Balon D’or.



PLAYER BIO 

If it’s one thing about Benz is the fact that he’s never lost his ability to strike a ball cleanly on either foot, and with his physical height and overall decent strength, you can expect Karim to be yet another F(C) bagging in lots of goals for you…



BEST ATTRIBUTES WITHIN SM23

Similarly to Lewandowski, Karim also has some exceptional world class traits that suits his style of football. The major difference between the 2 will be explained during the course of today’s episode, but I have to make a mention about his low ‘Penalty’ attribute. I could not believe my eyes since Benzema is undoubtedly one of the best takers from 12 yards out and rarely misses



BEST ROLES

Both Karim and Robert are technically very gifted players who can hold their own in possession, but Karim is on another level…
What Karim will bring to your team as a ‘Technical Target Man’  is his World Class movement, positioning, and creativity…
He is a more mobile player compared to Lewandowski and has the experience of being able to play like a F(RLC)
He is better at linking up with his attacking teammates and will always seek to negate the central areas on the pitch to drift slightly, albeit still being with his back to goal
And you already don’t need me to tell you about how exceptional he is in front of goal…




HOW TO BEST USE HIM

Like with almost every style of Target Man, they thrive with a lot of creativity being on display and it is safe to say that once you have the right players around Benzema, I can guarantee you that he won’t disappoint
And, of course, we will always use Karim as a Target Man as long as he is a starter within our team





WHO ARE THE BEST TEAMATES?

You can expect goals galore from a player of Karim’s quality, and he will also require a set amount of specific players who will be creating a lot of chances for him. One of the key roles that differentiates him from Robert is thevneed for a ‘Playmaker’. Ths is beacause, although Benz isn’t the quickest, he still has slightly sharper movement from central areas on the pitch whereas is more about getting unto balls coming from outwide

The same thing is expected when you choose to play a formation like the 4-3-3. Remember that since Benz is a ‘Technical Target Man’, it will be best advised if you decide to play a 4-3-3B rather than a 4-3-3A
When Karim is playing in a front 2 within a formation similar to this one, you can expect to see both his Striker instincts and creativity kick into play. Bare in mind that he will still be expecting his teammates to provide him chances from different scenarios since he wants to be considered as the main man

Lastly, when deciding to play with a 3 at the back formation, Benz will be at his absolute best if you get some ballers who have a high-level of football intelligence around him to not only create chances for him, but also to make clever movements off the ball which will ensure that Benzema can both attack via taking shots and also showcase his creative abilities. Bare in mind, though, he’s no Kane or Messi, so he won’t always be creating in high numbers, but he’ll still give you above average assisting statistics.

Alright, so lets talk about who is the best between both Lewandowski and Karim…. Both are very terrific players that have the capability to single handedly win you matches on their own, basically. The answer to “Who is better?” depends on what you’re looking for in your Forward. If you want strictly a goal scoring demon, then Robert is your guy. If you’re looking for a F(C) that provides you a more all round game,then Benzema is your guy. If you were to ask me who I’d prefer, I’d say Karim since offers more from an all round point of view, but let’s not neglect Robert since is an absolute bags man!

Thank you for reading soccermanagerites. Hope to see you back here again tomorrow! 🤞

Unknown's avatar

Published by The Soccermanager Experience

This is the ONLY place where you can evolve as a Soccermanager player!

Published

Leave a comment