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ZIDANE BACKS BENZEMA

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The former Real Madrid and France legend Zinedine Zidane has said that he is confident that the French international Karim Benzema will fulfil his potential. The former Lyon striker moved to the Santiago Bernabeu a few seasons ago for £ 35 million. He was expected to be part of the best cream of strikers that the club has experienced over the years. However, it has taken him three seasons to settle at the club. Now, he has been showing the kind of form that persuaded Real Madrid to part with £ 35 million. Speaking after the few round of Spanish league matches, the former Real Madrid midfielder Zinedine Zidane has said that he is sure that Benzema will become better as the years go by.

Last season was extremely good for Karim Benzema, but he is yet to open his account this season. Despite struggling for form at the start of the new season, Zinedine Zidane is confident that he will come good. He has also said that everyone knows that Karim Benzema is one of the best strikers in the world. Meanwhile, the former midfielder has also said that France should do a lot better than the 1-0 win over Finland if they are to win the World Cup.

“Benzema still has to hit top form and be on top of his game again, but the entire world knows that he is a great player. I just know that it won’t be long before he fulfils his full potential at last, both for Real Madrid and for France. It was a good game for France in my opinion simply because they bagged the full three points. The coach needs a bit of time to find the best solutions for everything,” Zidane stated at a press conference.

MARCELO BACKS BENZEMA

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The Brazilian footballer, Marcelo Vieira da Silva Junior, has said that his Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema is going through a lean patch at the moment and the team management should back him. As per Marcelo, Benzema has got class and he would not take much time to be back in form again. Benzema has joined the team very late in this season. He was having a bit of break after playing in the Euro Cup 2012. But, after joining the team, he hasn’t been able to show the same kind of spunk which he is known for.

Real Madrid has been doing well in the pre season matches, but, in the match against Benfica, the team’s performance was very poor and the team was defeated by a profound margin of 5-2. After that defeat, Benzema has been criticized a lot for not showing enough enthusiasm on the field. But, Marcelo said that Benzema is that kind of player who always gives his 100% for the team. It is true that he is not playing at his best at the moment, but, his commitment to the team should not be questioned. As per Marcelo, Benzema has played a lot of football in the recent times and he might be a bit tired.

Benzema joined Real Madrid in 2009. In the first two seasons, he used to play as the substitute, but, in the last season, he regularly featured in the first team and played as the main striker of the club. Benzema proved his utility in the team and performed consistently in the whole season. Due to his brilliant form, he was included in the French National Football team for the Euro Cup 2012.

Despite the poor performances of Benzema in the pre season matches, there have been speculations that he would continue to play as the main striker of the club in the upcoming season.

BENZEMA WRITES TO REAL

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French striker Karim Benzema has written to the Real Madrid squad after being allowed on extended leave following the end of the Euro 2012. The French striker suffered in disappointment in the Euro 2012 in the quarter-final stage after they lost to eventual champions Spain. Despite this, Karim Benzema can from the last season as a very successful one after he lifted the la Liga title with his club team Real Madrid. He will be looking to go one better this time around by winning the Champions League title with his club this season.

Real Madrid manager José Mourinho decided to give Karim Benzema an extended holiday after he was extremely tired following a long and hard season with his club team and the international team. As a result, he was given the permission to not return to training until the 24th of July while his other teammates, who were not involved in international duty, reported on July 16. Almost every player involved in the Euro 2012 have been granted an extended holiday by the Real Madrid manager José Mourinho. He will be hoping that such an important break will play its part in the second half of the campaign when usually tiredness affects the players who took part in the international duty.

Real Madrid will be taking part in the first friendly match of the pre-season when they take on Oviedo on Tuesday. Karim Benzema has also become the surprise transfer target of Premier league club Tottenham. Real Madrid are interested in signing Luka Modric from Tottenham, while the Premier league club are interested in taking the 24-year-old striker to England. After initially struggling to settle with life at the Spanish capital, Karim Benzema has become a major force in recent seasons and it would take a lot of money to prize him away from the Santiago Bernabeu.

FRANCE NEED TO WIN

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Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has said that France can view the Euro 2012 as a success only if they win the tournament. France will be heading into the tournament not as one of the favourites to win the competition, but it is viewed that it is a tournament for redemption. The national team has not performed up to its standards in the last two major tournaments partly because of the tension within the squad. However, former Bordeaux manager Laurent Blanc has been able to unite the squad and the team come into the tournament having been undefeated in the last 21 matches.

The impressive form shown by France ahead of the Euro 2012 has been largely due to the form of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema. The French striker was criticised a lot after initially not performing well for the Spanish club following his £ 35 million move from Lyon many seasons ago. However, the last two seasons has been a complete turnaround from the Frenchman after he has rediscovered his magic touch and hunger for the game. As a result, he has been able to keep out Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain, who has been brilliant prior to the arrival of José Mourinho.

“To succeed at the Euros we must go to the final and win. But we must be at least pass the first round beginning by winning against England. I don’t know if I am the only world class player in the French team but we are a team. A good group. There is no particular pressure. Everyone waits for me, it’s like that [but] I will continue to be as I am. I don’t know if I am in the form of my life, I am 24 years old, but I feel superb,” Benzema told reporters.

IMPRESSIVE FORM

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Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema continued his impressive form as he scored two goals against Sevilla during the weekend, which helped Real Madrid close in on the title. As a result of this 3-0 win, Real Madrid now have a 10 point advantage at the top of the table. This means that the club would be given the title if Barcelona lost their match in hand against Rayo Vallecano later in the evening. This has been a tremendous achievement from Real Madrid and it would be their first title after three years. Karim Benzema has been one of the players of the season for Real Madrid this season.

He once again scored two goals against Sevilla to give Real Madrid a comfortable 3-0 win. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the other goal for Real Madrid. Real Madrid were coming into the match on the back of the Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of Bayern Munich. However, they showed no signs of disappointment from the midweek result, as they continued to set pace in the Spanish league. Real Madrid now have the most number of goals scored by any team in the Spanish league after the 3-0 win. If Madrid win the title this season, it will be the 32nd league title in their history.

“This is good for us, it was a very important game for us as we continue on looking to be champions. The Champions League is in the past, we only care about the league now,” Benzema said after the 3-0 win over Sevilla. Apart from scoring two goals, Benzema also created the goal for Cristiano Ronaldo. The two goals scored against Sevilla mean that Karim Benzema has now got 31 goals in all competitions this season, while he has scored 20 in the league alone.

MOURINHO PRAISES BENZEMA

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Real Madrid manager José Mourinho has praised the French striker Karim Benzema by saying that the former Lyon striker was out of the world in the match against Osasuna. Real Madrid managed a 5-1 drubbing of Osasuna, which kept their lead at the top of the table intact.

Karim Benzema helped kick things off for Real Madrid where he scored a stunning goal in the seventh minute. Mourinho remarked by saying that it was a goal that was simply extraordinary in every way. Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo found the net on two occasions each to help Real Madrid to a convincing win over Osasuna.

As a result of this victory, they continue to maintain the six-point advantage over Barcelona. However, Real Madrid could have had an even significant advantage over Barcelona had they not lost their grip on the title race. This 5-1 victory meant that Real Madrid managed a nine point lead at the top of the table for a brief period before Barcelona won their match in hand against Athletic Bilbao quite convincingly as well. Barcelona managed a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao. Nino scored the solitary goal for Osasuna in the match against Real Madrid.

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BENZEMA WANTS MARSEILLE

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Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has said that he would like Real Madrid to draw with Marseille in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Real Madrid have come into the draw for the quarter-finals after having beaten CSKA Moscow 5-2 on aggregate. Real Madrid are one of the favourites to win the Champions League this season. However, the recent good possibility that they will be drawn against the likes of Barcelona, Napoli, and AC Milan. Even though Karim Benzema has admitted that there are no easy games in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, he has said that he would like to play against Marseille given his French connections.

Karim Benzema was signed by Real Madrid from French club Lyon a few years ago for around £ 35 million. Even though he failed to live up to the promise initially, Real Madrid manager José Mourinho has become a great favourite of the player so much so that Karim Benzema has often found himself in the starting line-up ahead of regular first-team player Gonzalo Higuain. Marseille have come into the draw for the quarter-finals after having won against Inter Milan in an extremely close encounter. The 2-1 victory at the San Siro was enough to see them through on away goals.

“As a Frenchman, I would like to meet Olympique de Marseille in the quarter-finals. However, at this stage of the competition, there are only great teams left. We all knew what had to be done against CSKA and we all gave a great performance. All that mattered was reaching the next round. We are well aware of the importance of this competition,” Benzema said. It would certainly be interesting to see the reaction of Barcelona if they were to draw against Real Madrid, against whom they have a great record in recent seasons.

BENZEMA SALUTES IMPORTANT WIN

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Karim Benzema has said that it was very much important to win against Real Sociedad, as any other result would have given Barcelona the opportunity to close the gap. Barcelona are currently in the second position in the Spanish la Liga, which is the condition that one would not have witnessed in the last three years. The French forward scored in the match against Real Sociedad to give Real Madrid are 4-0 win. Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel di Maria were the other scorers for Real Madrid on the night. Even though Barcelona managed to win 5-1 against a very good Valencia side, they could do nothing about the advantage Real Madrid currently have over the Catalan club.

There was some controversy surrounding the second goal Real Madrid scored against Real Sociedad. Many are suggesting that it was not Karim Benzema who scored the goal, but it was defender Sergio Ramos who had the last touch. The former Lyon striker, however, has said that he is not worried about the goal scorer in the game, as the most important thing was to secure victory, which would prevent Barcelona from closing the gap. Real Madrid have one major test to pass in the route to the title – facing Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

“It was a great game in the end. I do not know if the second goal was mine or Sergio [Ramos’], but I do not care because it was important to win. We will continue fighting until the end,” Karim Benzema said after the 4-0 win. Real Madrid will be next facing Rayo Vallecano, and they are expected to provide a stern competition to Real Madrid. Barcelona, meanwhile, will be facing Real Madrid’s archrivals Atlético Madrid, but Guardiola will have to be aware of the fact that Barcelona’s away form has been extremely poor this season.

BENZEMA KEEPING HIGAUIN OUT

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Karim Benzema has been in spectacular form this season so much so that he has been able to keep out regular goal scorer Gonzalo Higuain out of the side. He once again proved that he has the mantle to take part in the big matches and score regularly.

The 1-0 win over Malaga was a result of the Karim Benzema goal, which proved to be enough for Real Madrid to progress to the quarter-finals. Real Madrid will be meeting Barcelona in the quarter finals of the Copa Del Ray, a competition José Mourinho is considering to be extremely important.

José Mourinho has revealed that he wants to emulate the success of Barcelona in recent seasons by being in contention for every major trophy from the end of the season and winning every single one of them. Barcelona famously achieved the sextuple a few years ago and a widely regarded to be the best team in the world. However, Real Madrid have shown that they have more than enough quality to overtake Barcelona in the league, as they have done so in the table. Real Madrid are currently lead Barcelona by five points in the la Liga table, while they are also focusing equally on the cup competitions as well.

“We played an intelligent game tonight. It was a difficult series and we showed a lot of effort to win it,” Madrid manager Jose Mourinho said after the match. More than the win, it provides José Mourinho with the opportunity to take revenge for the 3-1 home defeat his side suffered at the hands of Barcelona just before the Christmas break. He has also witnessed Barcelona lift the Club World Cup for the second time in three years, and he will be looking to bring an end to the Catalan club’s progress in this competition.

Benzema Earns Praise

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Jose Mourinho is famous for criticising attacking players who have not delivered as well as he expects. He is also quite famous for praising those who have been excellent for him. The latter seems to have happened in the case of Karim Benzema, who has finally won the praise of manager José Mourinho.

The 23-year-old striker arrived from Lyon with much fanfare, but struggled during the initial months of his Real Madrid career. It was soon speculated that he would soon be leaving Real on a loan deal, but that never materialised because Benzema was considered an important member of the squad.

Now, under José Mourinho, he seems to have taken another step in becoming one of the most important players for Real Madrid. He scored in the 3-2 win over Villarreal during the weekend, which helped Real Madrid maintain the three point advantage over Barcelona. It is extremely vital in the title race and José Mourinho seems to have understood it – he came out in full praise of the French striker, who has been in troubled times of late.

Speaking to the press after the match, José Mourinho said “Benzema has improved all-round, every aspect of his game. He is stronger, both in his body and in his mind, and understands the game a lot better. We know taht he can be a clinical striker of the ball, but he has also improved his defensive game. For me, finally the real Benzema is playing for Madrid.”

This is quite a lot of praise for the youngster who had become accustomed to criticism from coach Mourinho. He said that one of the reasons for Karim Benzema not being able to perform for the French team is because they lack a playmaker like Loic Remy.