Every once in a while, some former players continue their journey in football as coaches and – to be quite honest – only a few of them reach the same levels and glory as they did during their playing days.Xavi serves as an excellent example of that, doing remarkably good in his first coaching months at Camp Nou. And, if we listen to him carefully, we could almost feel Karim Benzema’s exquisite coaching talent, although he’s still far from ending his career as a player.Xavi reveals real Real: Weak without Benzema, no quality subsIn an interview for the famous L’Equipe, the 34-year-old French veteran talked about that exquisite night in the Spanish capital when his Royals came from behind to batter PSG and march through to the Champions League quarter-finals.CHELSEA – REAL MADRIDAlthough Karim says he was afraid of that clash, Benzema claims a bit paradoxically that he did not worry about trumping the Saints regardless of the first-leg loss and a goal deficit at the Santiago Bernabeu. “Ask my teammates who were in the locker room. That lead did not change anything for us. We knew that we definitely had to score two goals. At half-time, I told everyone, ‘Guys, everything’s fine. We conceded one, but while we were trying to attack. That’s normal, and we have to attack. We just have to be careful.’ I don’t know how people see football, but you don’t dominate because of possession. PSG do not have the kind of ball possession in which the ball goes forward. No, they only tend to slow down when they are outplayed. They do it very well though; they hide the ball and attack from the counterattack “, analyzes Benzema.Comeback to end all comebacks! Karim Benzema hits three goals in 27 minutes to destroy ParisThe Royals had a ready answer.”When you squeeze them, when you don’t provide them the necessary space, then everything is fine. Their strategy comes down to Marco Veratti – he does everything. If you press him well, he will move to the background, but then it is not the same anymore. Leandro Paredes instead of Verati – is not the same. Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe, who want to play in Veratti’s place, are not the same again. So the secret of the game against Paris Saint-Germain is to press them. The matches they lost in Ligue 1 are the ones in which they are pressed in all positions. “##EDITORS_CHOICE##And then…”When we scored that first, they had already lost in their heads, even though it was only 1-1 on the scoreboard. This often happens to them. They dismantle mentally.”Benzema’s brace puts him right with Real legends as the Royal club passes Valencia with easeOn the other hand, when Benzema netted that first … It was a proper boom!”I felt I could score another goal or two. And when you see how I bagged that third goal, you see how relaxed I was. At that moment, anything I kicked would come in. It is rare, but it happens. In the last 20 minutes, I was able to do what I wanted. “It’s as if Real Madrid have won the lottery – they’ve got awesome Benzema and a lot of luckIf you thought that’s all of Benzema’s masterclass, guess again… He shared his thoughts on possible encounters in the ultimate rounds of the UCL.Benzema believes he can win the biggest individual award in footballReal’s next opponent will be Chelsea, although it is somehow a unique impression that the top favourites for the European title are Manchester City, Liverpool and Bayern Munich after PSG’s exit.”Why?” Karim fires straightforwardly.As time goes by: Benzema, the last Galacticos in MadridThey seem dominant, that’s why.”No. I don’t look at it that way. And I watch games. Manchester City, for example, enjoy possession – to have possession in the opponent’s half of the field. But they have not yet played against a team that will attack the space behind them. It’s a strategy for City. Liverpool are the same, especially good at home, with fans and individual quality. Bayern Munich score a lot of goals but also concede more than a few. I also watch their matches: sometimes they suffer from counterattacks when their rivals run out with four attackers on two defensive players. ” concludes Benzema confidently.Xavi’s magic and the transformation of BarcelonaWhether you agree with him or not, you got to give it to the French forward – he’s already speaking as fine as he’s curling those balls in the area. So, it seems Xavi has got himself a proper rival in El Clasico in a few years. In the dugout, of course.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUEQuarter-final, first legTuesday22.00: (1.40) Man.City (4.90) Atl.Madrid (9.00)22.00: (8.00) Benfica (4.70) Liverpool (1.45)Wednesday22.00: (2.15) Chelsea (3.35) Real Madrid (3.80)22.00: (5.60) Villareal (4.00) Bayern (1.67)***odds are subject to change
