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Monday, March 28, 2011

"Benzema can play well anywhere"

Jose Mourinho made the front cover of prestigious French newspaper L'Equipe, founded in 1903. In an exclusive interview, the coach discusses his career as coach, his run at Real Madrid so far and the evolution of Karim Benzema.

"Before facing Lyon, I told my players that the fact I had won two Champions League wouldn't help them, and also that their previous bad results against the French team wouldn't have anything to do with the game. My team qualified for the next round because it is better and stronger this season."

"Everyone can see Benzema is a better player now. He's made progress because I demanded a lot from him. I asked him to have a different attitude. Before I got here, I was told he was very introverted, but from day one I saw him as a nice, intelligent young man willing to integrate himself on the team. His problem was his obsession with becoming an important player due to the millions he cost. That's the opposite to what I thought. I told him his hard work, perseverance and conviction would make him a great player. He's made progress since then and he now believes that's what's more important for him."

"We signed Adebayor because we needed to, not to make life harder for Benzema. He's responded every time I've brought him off the bench. Karim is no longer a nice kid; he is a man. He is capable of multi-tasking on the pitch. He can play well anywhere; I love that type of player. He's earned the right to miss shots on goal, but not the right to lose focus, to lack aggressiveness, to participate more in the team's game, to go deeper in attack than ever before, or to react accordingly when losing the ball."

"Florentino Perez and I have been working together for nine months now. Both the Club and I have had to adapt to each other, but the cohesion in our work has made progress. I can personally say I'm satisfied with the work we've done so far. Every club should understand that, to me, coaching isn't just about motivating players, attending training sessions and preparing games. You hire me for who I am as a coach. What matters is the belief in the team's success."

"I like to help my children with their homework and I enjoy having a cup of cofee with my wife. We want to be a normal family. It's important for us to have what people describe as a 'normal life'. It's hard though: it's impossible for us to go to the beach in the summer, to go shopping or to go see my son play football."

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