Real Madrid: Jose Mourinho Has Unlocked the Greatest Attacking Triumvirate in WF

For so long, Jose Mourinho's biggest question before every Real Madrid match was this: Do I start Gonzalo Higuain or Karim Benzema?

It's a problem any manager in the world would love to have, having to pick between two of the best strikers in world football.

One day late in November, Jose Mourinho got tired of picking between the two strikers. He decided he'd let both of them play together, just to see what kind of havoc they'd wreak and if they could work together.

The result was great: Real Madrid enjoyed their greatest offensive display of the Champions League, putting six past a decent Dinamo Zagreb side.

But with Angel di Maria, Mesut Ozil, Kaka and Jose Callejon all in need of playing time, Mourinho decided to shelve the idea for the time being. After all, why change the system if its been working so consistently well for so long?

So he used Benzema and Higuain together intermittently, recording impressive wins over Ajax, Granada and Levante in the three games he played them together from December to February.

Finally, in March, after two consecutive draws and allowing Barcelona to come within six points of Real Madrid, Mourinho knew his side needed to get back to being their free-scoring selves.

They needed a radical but effective change, one that would shock the opposition but not require wholesale changes in the team's composition and formation. Mourinho turned to Benzema and Higuain.

They repaid him in style. First came the 5-1 victory over Real Sociedad, where both Benzema and Higuain had a field day on offense.

Then came APOEL, who proved harder to break down, but ultimately conceded two goals to Benzema.

Finally, this weekend, Real Madrid picked up another 5-1 win with the pair in full effect, Benzema scoring once (with a brilliant golazo) and Higuain scoring twice.

Real Madrid results When Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain both start:

Date	Result	Benzema + Higuain Stats
22.11.11	6-2 @ Home vs. Dinamo Zagreb (Champions League)	2 goals, 1 assist for Benzema, 1 goal, 2 assists for Higuain
07.12.11	3-0 Away vs. Ajax (CL)	1 assist for Benzema, 1 goal for Higuain
07.01.12	5-1 @ Home vs. Granada	2 goals for Benzema, 1 goal for Higuain
18.01.12	1-2 @ Home vs. Barcelona	1 assist for Benzema
12.02.12	4-2 @ Home vs. Levante	1 goal for Benzema, 1 assist for Higuain
24.03.12	5-1 @ Home vs. Real Sociedad	2 goals, 1 assist for Benzema, 1 goal, 1 assist for Higuain
27.03.12	3-0 Away vs. APOEL	2 goals for Benzema
31.03.12	5-1 Away vs. Osasuna	1 goal for Benzema, 2 goals for Higuain

It's important to highlight that Benzema and Higuain haven't both been starting up front. Benzema has played as a right-winger (and a left-winger on two occasions), opposite to Ronaldo, with Higuain in the middle, so that Real Madrid aren't forced to alter their formation.

He's made the transition seamlessly. In eight games as a winger, Benzema has contributed 10 goals and five assists. Even more incredibly, he's not infringed on Higuain's effectiveness; Higuain has six goals and four assists over the same stretch.

It took Mourinho until now to discover the effectiveness of Higuain and Benzema together, as Angel di Maria's excellent form has kept him in the lineup this season (and deservedly so; five goals and 14 assists in 15 games is efficiency at its best).

But now that he has discovered it, it's safe to say that Real Madrid have climbed another level; they now have the most comprehensively threatening triumvirate of forwards in the world.

Before, Angel di Maria, even with his excellent form, was looked to as the weak link of Real Madrid's offense. He was a great assist-maker, but his greatness arose from his contributions to the team, rather than individual brilliance.

But that's not the case with Benzema, Higuain or Ronaldo. All of them are capable of creating assists for their teammates, and they're all incredible individual goal-scorers. Can Barcelona say the same about their attacking triumvirate?

Lionel Messi is unparalleled in world football, but I definitely wouldn't put Alexis Sanchez at the level of Higuain and Benzema.

And even if some Barca fans do rate him that highly, Isaac Cuenca and Cristian Tello are years away from being as good as either striker, and Pedro has been too inconsistent this season to be rated anywhere near the same level as Benzema and Higuain.

With their new starting attackers, are Madrid good enough to beat Barcelona? That's the question we all want to know.

Last time the three attackers played against Barcelona, they lost 1-2, the only time Madrid has lost when Ronaldo, Benzema and Higuain have started.

However, it's important to note that Mourinho made an error that day by playing Higuain out wide, a position that he's simply not suited for. Higuain had almost no impact on the game, and Mourinho has since learned from his mistake by playing the much more versatile Benzema out wide instead.

At this point, it's all speculation on how Benzema, Higuain and Ronaldo will fare against Barcelona in the next Clasico.

However, seeing as how deadly Real Madrid have been with the three forwards starting together, there is little doubt that Mourinho has unlocked the greatest attacking triumvirate in world football right now, and potentially one of the best in the history of world football.