The Enigma of Karim Benzema

There's been a lot of talk about how much Wayne Rooney has not been able to perform for England, but it seems the French have a problem of their own.  It's not so much a problem as it is a curious case of a striker misfiring for his club team but putting the ball in the back of the net for his country. 

It's not easy following behind the likes of Henry or Zidane, but when you wear the number 10 jersey for France, it is expected that you bring out the sort of performances that Zidane was able to conjure throughout his playing days.  Benzema is no Zidane, but he is a formidable player in his own right, which makes it a bit troubling that he has not been able to get on the score sheet regularly for Real Madrid.  When he was at Lyon, he was surrounded by lesser players and was still scoring goals by the loads.  At Madrid, he is surrounded by fantastic players, both team and individual players, and Benzema has not been able to reproduce his France form for his club team.

With the national team, he is surrounded with equally fantastic players in the form of Nasri, Gourcuff and Ribery, and he seems to be up for the task.  Perhaps language is an issue at Madrid, but if Karim does not learn the language quickly, he is bound to get replaced.

Young Gunners see off Liverpool

Arsenal's brilliant young gunners are at it again. This time seeing off a Liverpool team which included the always reliable Dirk Kuyt and Manchester United foe David Ngog. No one expected anything different from the Arsenal youngsters, with Fran Merida proving to be an acceptable replacement for Fabregas. But there's worry about Liverpool as their topsy turny year continues. One good thing out of this game is that Alberto Aquilani was able to step onto the field and show a glimpse of what he has. And Arsenal's young genius Samir Nasri made a welcomed return at the Emirates.