Hazard and Benzema singled out for criticism after Osasuna draw

Hazard and Benzema singled out for criticism after Osasuna draw

Madrid want more from their forwards when it matters in tight games

Eden Hazard and Karim Benzema are supposed to be the stars of Real Madrid's attack but they both disappointed in Pamplona on Saturday as Zinedine Zidane's side drew 0-0 with Osasuna.

Their lack of width was one of the reasons Madrid failed to score in a game for the fourth time this season.

After 18 months at the club, Madrid are tiring of Hazard. Zidane's Golden Boy hasn't been able to live up to the billing that came with his 160 million euro signing from Chelsea.

His problems with injuries and lack of consistency have seen Madrid struggled to break teams down.

In his last three games, he hasn't had a shot on target, so hasn't scored a goal, and hasn't set one up either. The result has been two draws and just one win.

ADDS NOTHING

The Belgian's defenders will argue he's good and has just been unlucky, but he doesn't add anything, what does his presence on the grass serve for?

Meanwhile, Benzema alone is not enough for Madrid against teams that are able to sit deep and shut up shop, as was the case with Osasuna. If the Frenchman is not firing, Zidane's side lost a large percentage of their goals.

Hazard showed some signs of life at El Sadar but didn't make the difference. In games like Saturday's againt Osasuna, he must add much more. He still seems to lack confidence and is perhaps afraid of getting injured again.

The problem is that Zidane puts the Belgian's class ahead of his form.

Marco Asensio is the third forward singled out for criticism after the poor performance in Pamplona. In the first half, his presence was testimonial. He improved after the break but Zidane took him off to keep Hazard on.

It was the third time Zidane went for the Asensio-Benzema-Hazard trio. In their first two games, Madrid scored seven goals, conceding three: 4-1 against Huesca and 3-2 against Inter Milan.

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