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.

Down to the wire!

That time of the year has arrived. The french league and the Dutch league are the only ones in which a champion has already been decided. The rest of the major leagues are still fighting it out to see who will be champions.

I don't particularly care which of Chelsea or United wins the EPL but it has been a very interesting year for a neutral. If either one of them lose this weekend and the other wins, a champion will be named.

In Germany, Bayern Munich has put a stronghold on the top of the table. They're most likely to win the league unless they find a way to shoot themselves in the foot.

For the longest time, the Serie A has been Inter Milan's to lose and that's still the case. They're one of few teams in Europe still fighting for a treble. They're most likely going to scoop up all the trophies they want under Jose Mourinho. Roma is going to push it to the end but there chances of winning the scudetto this year are very slim.

Of all the competitions, for me the most interesting battle is the one between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Madrid has the easier of the two, but Barcelona are probably going to lift the trophy if they get past a below par Sevilla side. It will definitely be a weekend worth watching.
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