Zidane: Madrid ‘need’ Benzema

Zinedine Zidane was ‘happy’ with Cristiano Ronaldo letting Karim Benzema take a penalty against Alaves as Real Madrid ‘need’ the Frenchman’s link-up play.

Benzema netted a late penalty after Ronaldo gifted it to his strike partner, and Zidane felt his countryman ‘deserved’ the goal, which capped off a 4-1 victory for Madrid.

“I’m happy with Ronaldo’s gesture,” the Coach said after the game.

“It was a moment of team play, which Karim deserved. He had a very good game. When he moves between the lines and links our play up, he’s very good.

“We scored for goals and conceded none. We must keep going like this. We always played with pressure and we need Karim to be in the game and link our play up.

“He did very well and I’m glad. He’ll always be under pressure because he’s Madrid’s No 9 and we’re always going to ask for more.

“BBC have always been here. The only thing we want is that they’re at 100 percent and today they had very good games.

“Lucas Vazquez did too because the four attacked very well. I’m glad with their performances.

“Bale had a great game, he played for 90 minutes and did very well. Playing in a 4-4-2 with Gareth on the left, we took advantage of Alexis [Ruano] not attacking much.

“With the ball, we moved it around the pitch and everyone did very well. It was a team performance.

“We’ll try and work to keep recording clean sheets. In the first half, we faced some difficulties and risked being countered, but we managed the game better in the second.

“We must improve defensively because our opponents live for our mistakes. Keeping more clean sheets is our objective. We’ve flipped the switch and now we must continue like this.

“We’ve regained our confidence in the last few games. After the match against PSG, we’ve been doing better.

“Maybe we needed a game like this, but it also doesn’t mean anything. We must keep this good run going, fighting and working. If we give 100 percent on the pitch, we will.

“Last season, we had games when we scored late on. Now we’re playing with the consistency that we want in our game and in terms of focus.

“We’ve recovered our confidence and that’s crucial for our players. Now we want to keep working hard because nothing’s been achieved and we must think about playing well on Wednesday.”             

Tags Karim Benzema Zinedine Zidane
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