If one has to characterize the biggest change in Real Madrid since the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti, it comes down to one word – attack. After the last two years the team was mainly based on defense, and even won the championship in 2019/20 after absorbing the least in the top leagues in Europe, it now leads La Liga with 37 conquests (2.3 on average per game). That’s at least 10 goals more than any other team, and that means that among the top five leagues in Europe only Inter (39), Liverpool (44) and Bayern Munich (45) have scored more than it (as of this writing).
One of the main reasons for this, beyond of course the offensive style of the veteran Italian coach, is that if since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo her almost only man on offense was Kerim Benzema, Ancelotti now has a slightly wider range of weapons at his disposal. Vinicius Jr. has turned from a question mark into one of the deadliest attacking players on the continent, Marco Asensio is showing cautious signs of a return to himself, and now the Santiago Bernabeu are hoping another name joins the list, just before the club finally raises their hands about him – Luka Jovic.
The 23-year-old Serbian striker is starting his third season in the Spanish capital after being acquired from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer for 60 million euros. So true, from that summer of 2019 that was crowded with procurement, Eden Hazard leaves dust on Lubicz as the one claiming the title of biggest disappointment in the Spanish capital. Still, after a record season in Germany, which included 27 goals, Madrid expected that at this stage of their careers the Serbs would have a little more than three goals in 42 appearances.
First of all, the truth must be told – being the second striker at Real Madrid after Karim Benzema turns out to be one of the most challenging roles in world football. Even at a time when the Frenchman was showing less dominance in the White Point, strikers like Gonzalo Higuain and Albero Murata preferred to give up the challenge and move to another team where they could serve as first fiddle. Now that Benzema is the club’s top scorer for the fourth season in a row and is considered by many to be one of the best strikers in the world (if not the best of them), the task of getting minutes is several times more difficult.
And if we go back to focusing on Jubic, we’ll start with the professional side. One of the main reasons why he is not even close to being an opponent on Benzema’s position is the large gap between the styles of the two. Like many modern strikers, the Real Madrid number 9 can be found throughout the game in almost every part of the pitch, producing attacks and participating in them no less than he finishes them. And after Real Madrid have become accustomed in the last decade to a striker who, in addition to goals, also extracts, removes, dribbles and employs the opponent’s defense with moves to the field, it is not surprising that a striker with a much more passive style of play is difficult to integrate into the team.
This is reflected in the fact that Jovic mainly reaches the territories between the defensive players, runs forward with the rest of the players in delivery positions, and usually does not do much more than that. Unlike Benzema for example, the Serb could not be seen coming down to ask for the ball. In such a style, it can be said and rightly so that Ljovic is not suitable to play as a lone striker, but unlike Frankfurt or the Serbian national team, where he was able to express himself more, Real Madrid has not played with two strikers for at least a decade. The Serb, it seems, has a hard time getting used to getting out of his comfort zone, and his frustration is hard to miss.
Add to that the fact that most of the times he comes off the bench are mostly when Real Madrid have to score a goal, which only adds more pressure on him, and it does not seem to do him any good. So much so that sometimes even Mariano, an actor who has not been on the shows for more than two years, has sometimes been given priority over his face. “Sometimes I watch videos of myself on YouTube, and I ask myself, ‘What happened to me?'” Jovic even admitted about two years ago.
And it is not only in the Jovic field that it is difficult to integrate. Quite a few times, the striker seems simply detached from the rest of the team, has difficulty understanding Zinedine Zidane’s instructions during his time, and certainly did not contribute to disciplinary issues when he broke isolation at the height of the first corona wave in Europe when he traveled to Serbia to stay with his partner. And documented ignoring the guidelines several more times. Along with allegations made about his weight gain, came the misfortune in the form of injuries that prevented him from getting opportunities.
Last summer, the sides seemed to be parting ways, and Liovic had a number of suitors including Milan, who have already successfully launched Real Madrid careers like Brahim Diaz and Theo Hernandez, and in her attack can be found Ante Ravic, with whom Jovic successfully collaborated in Frankfurt and even won the trophy The German with an impressive victory in the final over Bayern Munich. But despite everything, the Serbian striker remains another season in the Spanish capital.
But even under Ancelotti, the Serb once again seemed to be going for the seller, with until the game against Real Sociedad he recorded just 106 minutes from the start of the season, in which he had one touchdown, also in the Blancos’ lone loss this season in the league (2-1 to Espanyol). The lukewarm ability on the one hand, the unconvincing attitude on the other hand plus the permanent lineup that crystallized and hardly included any changes, have already led again to the familiar talk of leaving in January. And after last season it included a half-season loan season in Frankfurt that didn’t change much, it was not inconceivable that this time it was a permanent farewell.
But then, the visit to Anuata arrived. And after so many times he was the one who suffered from it, this time the misfortune of the others played precisely in favor of Jovic. It happened when in the 17th minute Karim Benzema was injured and could not continue, and the Serb got off the bench in his place. This amounted to an excellent 73 minutes, in which he cooked the first goal for Vinicius great, and the 0: 2 he had already pushed in himself with a shot that secured him the title of outstanding player in the game for the first time.
But without underestimating the important gate or cooking in itself, the good news about Jubic may perhaps come from a slightly different direction – the outburst of great joy after the gate, and no, this is not at all a matter of course in the case of the introverted and generally restrained Serb. The striker’s entourage explained to her that he came out of this game with a tremendous sense of release, and that he had to score that goal to feel important. The great joy was not only evident in the scorer, but also in all his teammates, who hugged him and celebrated no less than him. Maybe this is what will push the striker in the right direction. Also professionally, but no less important in his case, both mentally and socially.
So yes, in the next game against Inter, where Jovic started in the squad due to a Benzema injury, he did not score and cook again, but it was hard to ignore that something in him seemed looser, and the Madrid media even reported that “he never felt happier” at the club. And even changed his mind about leaving in January, also thanks to the warm treatment he receives fromAncelotti, Who wanted to join him when he coached Napoli. “I try to show Lovitch as much love as I can,” the coach admitted as early as last month. “He is happy here and he is fit. I love him as a striker, but before him there is the best striker in the world, Karim Benzema. You have to believe in him.”
Indeed, even with all the love and faith, the Serbs will have a very hard time moving the number 9 from the edge in the near future. According to recent reports, the Frenchman may return him to the bench already in the important derby against Atletico Madrid, where Real Madrid will be able to take another big step towards the 35th championship in its history.
Even in a fluid field like football, there is no reason to make statements or tie crowns after two good games. Still, it seems that Jovic also knows that the near future may be the last in which he will get a chance at the Spanish luxury club, and that after two and a half years, his condition is probably the best he has been individually and as a team. Now, the real challenge for him will be to prove that for him it is only his floor, not the ceiling. Otherwise, we’ll probably be hearing about Frankfurt and Milan again.
.