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From Dubai, Karim Benzema offered some candid remarks about Real Madrid. |
According to the former Bernabeu captain, the problem for the Spanish royal club doesn't lie with the coach, but with overlapping roles, individual egos, and the lack of a sufficiently influential voice in the dressing room.
In an interview with L'Equipe while preparing for the second half of the season with Al-Ittihad, Karim Benzema dedicated a significant portion of the time to analyzing Real Madrid's crisis. Without shying away, the French striker went straight to the core: his former club is lacking "connection" between its biggest stars.
According to Benzema, Real Madrid currently possesses too many world-class players, but each one doesn't fully understand their role on the field. “Bellingham is an attacking midfielder, not a goalscorer. Mbappe is a goalscorer, not a playmaker. Vinicius is a left winger, not a defensive midfielder,” Benzema said. When these roles are so unclear, Real Madrid struggles to function smoothly, despite the undeniable quality of their squad.
Notably, Benzema believes that coach Xabi Alonso could hardly have done more. For him, this is not purely a matter of tactics.
"The coach has the best players at his disposal. The rest is up to the players," Benzema asserted. In a team with five or six big stars, the conflict isn't about technical skill, but about accepting one's position.
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Xabi Alonso is having problems at Real Madrid. |
The former Ballon d'Or winner emphasized a harsh reality: everyone wants to be the best. "If your teammates score more goals, you have to accept it. The problem is not everyone can accept it," Benzema said.
According to him, this is the root cause of why teams with too many stars easily fall into crisis. The goalscorer always receives more attention, while success is the product of the entire team.
Benzema also pointed out a major gap at Real Madrid currently: the lack of an experienced leader in the dressing room. “There’s no one with enough authority to tell Bellingham, Mbappe, or Vinicius that they’re doing something wrong,” he remarked.
Modern football, according to Benzema, is becoming colder. Players communicate less openly with each other. Everyone is only concerned with whether they have completed their individual task. And that is directly reflected on the pitch.
When asked about Mbappe, Benzema had no doubt about his younger teammate's class. He believes Mbappe will continue to score goals as he did at PSG. But what Real Madrid is waiting for is not just the numbers.
"They signed Mbappe so he could decide big games," Benzema said. According to him, Mbappe needs to take another step towards becoming a leader in attack, someone who can shoulder the pressure in crucial moments, not just shine in easy matches.
Benzema also refuted the notion of underestimating smaller opponents. For him, scoring a brace or a hat-trick against weaker teams has never been easy. What matters is the ability to step up when the team is forced to win. That is the true measure of a star expected to lead Real Madrid to titles.
Benzema's comments are not just the perspective of an outsider. They are the voice of a former leader, someone who understands Real Madrid from the inside. And the message he sends is quite clear: Real Madrid's problem doesn't lie in talent, but in how those talents learn to stand together.
Source: https://znews.vn/benzema-mo-xe-real-madrid-post1610755.html
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