Real Madrid Target Edin Dzeko: Is He the Perfect Striker for Jose Mourinho?

Jose Mourinho would not have liked what he saw at the Nou Camp as Real Madrid surrendered meekly to endure their worst defeat in this season. He has emphasised on building a strong defence but it fell apart under the onslaught of the Blaugrana's impressive attacking play.

Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez dominated the midfield and Real Madrid could hardly build any meaningful attacks. It was a rather shoddy performance from Real Madrid and Mourinho, who has been the Manager of the decade, will plan to set things right for the Los Merengues.

Real Madrid made a surprising change in their starting 11 for the game against Barcelona when Karim Benzema started the game instead of Gonzalo Higuain, who was on the bench. Benzema did not have a great day at the office and could not hold up the ball long enough to bring his team-mates into play. He is an extremely talented striker but without any meaningful supply, he looked cut-off and struggled on his own up-front. It seems like Higuain requires surgery and could be out of competitive football for as long as three months, which might force Mourinho to look at various other striking options in the January transfer window.

Mourinho has always liked to have a powerful hit-man to lead the attack and the physicality of the striker is something which he makes use of in his tactics. Didier Drogba is one classic example of Mourinho's penchant for having tough strikers in his armoury. Drogba developed a lot under Mourinho and emerged as one of the most feared strikers in the world. Drogba does not indulge in trickery; he uses a direct approach, which causes plenty of problems for the oppositions.

In his time at Inter Milan, he utilised the services of Zlatan Ibrahamovic in his first season, and though the forward could not excel in the crunch games of the Champions League, he was instrumental in the Nerazzurri winning the Scudetto with ease. After the departure of the tall Swede, Mourinho brought in Diego Milito, who turned out to be Inter's most valuable player in important games and even scored twice in the Champions League.

Though Higuain and Benzema are both 6 ft, they are not the type of physical strikers who can hold up the ball for long. Also, Higuain has a tendency to waste a couple of chances, which can prove to be costly in a tight encounter. The former Chelsea manager will be pleased if he can add a tall and strong striker to his roster in January. He said earlier in the season that Real Madrid did not have to sign anyone in January but with the injury to Higuain, it is unlikely that he will only have one proven Striker in Benzema for the next three months.

Real Madrid have been linked with moves to number of tall and strong strikers like Hugo Almeida and Fernando Llorente Torres but recent reports emanating from the media is that the Los Merengues are tracking Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko to secure his services in January. It could turn out to be a mere rumour but if Mourinho can sign Dzeko, then he will have the physical and strong hit-man in his arsenal.

Dzeko is a proven performer in the Bundesliga and has been plundering goals for the last few seasons. He has been the highest goal scorer in the Bundesliga in more than a couple of seasons and is a consistent performer for Wolfsburg. Dzeko is a tall and strong athlete, who has also got a neat first touch. He has got excellent aerial ability and has got the pace to make it count on counter-attacks. He can shoot from long range, which is an added advantage and he has the technique to survive in the fast paced La Liga.

Mourinho utilised a strong centre forward when he faced teams who were technically superior to his teams and he has had success with his policy. Milito was crucial for Internazionale against Barcelona as he caused problems for Barcelona with his pace and physicality. He will expect Dzeko to do the same and his long ball tactics might work with Dzeko, who is excellent in the air. Also, Mourinho’s teams are generally good at set-pieces and Dzeko can score from good set-piece deliveries.

Edin Dzeko has also been tracked by Juventus and Manchester City in the past but if Real Madrid make a concrete bid in January, he could be interested by the guarantee of Champions league football, which cannot be offered by the other two aforementioned sides. Besides, an opportunity to work with one of the best managers in the world will also interest him.

Mourinho is not one to give up without a fight and though his team capitulated in the face of the onslaught by Barcelona, he will ensure that tyhey bounce back strongly. Inter Milan were comprehensively outplayed at the Camp Nou by Barcelona in the group stages of the Champions League, last year, but had the last laugh by eliminating the defending Champions in the Semi-Finals. With the imminent return of Kaka and the signing of a strong Centre Forward, Real Madrid under the influential Portuguese will be a strong challenger for the La Liga and the Champions League.