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That viral moment for Real Madrid, when the players returned to the field in Mönchengladbach and the television cameras caught Karim Benzema speaking badly of Vinicius Jr. to Ferland Mendy, it was a shame. For a senior teammate, one who knows his share of vitriol, misunderstandings, and made a handful of poor career decisions, lashing out at a flawed but scandalously gifted youngster in the middle of a crucial Champions League match was debilitating, mutinous and something like that. so a player must be disciplined.
– Benzema’s cryptic post on Instagram after criticizing Vinicius
– Zidane: Benzema, Vinicius solved their problems
The heart of successful soccer is the team ethic, the ideal of “all for one and one for all.” One where it doesn’t matter if you like the other guy on the other side of the locker room or not, or if it bothers you that a teammate loves full blast reggaeton even though you adore nothing more than a little Chopin and the occasional Tony Bennett melody. – after all, they support each other.
By comparison, he’s corrosive, self-indulgent, and even punishable by a fine or possible suspension for corusing a younger teammate behind his back. That kind of behavior causes loyal fans to spit in disgust, brutally disappointed, and able to spear a team’s season as unity of spirit, mood, and purpose sinks without a trace.
But wait: do you see things completely differently? Do you suspect that I don’t really believe any of that?
Maybe you’re right: let’s look at the evidence. Benzema was an idiot to be caught venting his spleen to Mendy, unable to contain the seething and debilitating poison that resulted from his ultra-frustration at playing so poorly. But more than that, let’s look at the impact of what happened from that day in Germany to this week, when Madrid faced and faced their first all-or-nothing matchup of the season. (A note: if you live in Spain, or read the Spanish media from afar, there will be another 25 of those before the season ends. After all, it is a country that loves Drama with a capital D).
If you missed his misstep, Benzema was furious that Vinicius seemed to be ignoring or misinterpreting the older forward’s runs and service demands; the veteran, whom I suspect has a slight zeal for Vinicius’s media profile, simply needed to get it off his chest.
And so, he chose a word with Mendy. Why? Well, they are both French, they spoke their mother tongue, they were both stars at Lyon and frankly Benzema was haranguing a guy with whom Vinicius has the “understanding” on the pitch that Benzema would love. Mendy is big, daring, technically gifted and no less outrageous in the attacking outs that he loves to throw, even compared to the perennial Madrid left-back Marcelo. “Defense is not mentioned in my contract” Vieira da Silva Júnior. You know the boy.
So the fact that he and Vinicius love exchanging five-a-side style moves and tricks down the left wing, the fact that the young Brazilian is happy to back off and help Mendy get out of trouble by pushing and tackling. .that this has further enraged Benzema.
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I can imagine the thought: “Look, you’re on this team to serve me, to score goals for Madrid’s leading (and indeed only) center forward … put aside the Harlem Globetrotters stuff that you and Mendy are producing and give me the ball! “
You can imagine that too, right?
Regardless, from the moment Benzema committed what should be an absolute cardinal sin, he has been fully vindicated. (Oh, and in case there’s any doubt, the phrases and philosophy I quoted at the top of this column were intended to challenge your perception, get your attention, and establish a premise that takes into account traditional thinking about team sports and how to perform to an elite standard. You get that, right?)
The thunderous dark cloud over Benzema’s head, think of a scenario where the Peanuts’ Pigpen, Yosemite Sam, and the Tasmanian Devil raised a French footballer son in community, has vanished and, in the 225 minutes since he erupted in a helpless rage, has found its potency. .
Benzema, left, and Vinicius made headlines for their apparent dispute in the dressing room, but the competitive spirit is pushing Real Madrid to play better. Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno / Getty Images
Benzema scored an absolutely vital goal to help secure a comeback point at Monchengladbach (absolutely vital), he scored two goals, one assist and a hard-hitting little performance against Huesca that could easily have brought a hat-trick (and probably should have) done) and has reminded us that his association with Eden Hazard could be quite special. Then on Tuesday, he pulled off another good goalscoring performance in a 3-2 win over Inter Milan that keeps Madrid healthy, rather than infernal, in their difficult Champions League group.
Four goals in three games, one assist and seven points for Real Madrid in the two competitions. Benzema is a forward who still works – in fact he slides, as if he were 28 years old again – and his anguish? Long gone.
There are also more.
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No matter how seriously we take the ideas of soccer, its performance, the financial rewards, or the hearts and souls of the fanatics that you hold in your hands, soccer is bound to be entertaining. The world “morbid” in Spanish means “there is something special, or morbidly fascinating” about this event that is coming. It can be interpreted as the anticipation of the next game between two rivals who have nothing but dislike for each other, or the first time two coaches meet after fighting each other, or even the return to an old club by a player. much loved but now deceased legend / gamer – you get the idea. But there are also undoubtedly delicious “disease“also surrounding Vinicius vs. Benzema.
They will talk Will they pass each other? Was that a poisonous look they exchanged? Will they fall in the field? Will we have a glorious and happy hug as Benzema walks away from another path in the upper corner and turns to thank his now redeemed antagonist?
The brazilian prima facie, has rescued Madrid on at least two occasions this season with crucial and one-off goals against Valladolid and Levante, and was not even present in the Mönchengladbach tunnel when Benzema threw his tantrum. However, Vinicius was withdrawn with 20 minutes to go in Germany, did not start against Huesca and was benched again when Antonio Conte’s Inter boys arrived on mission this week.
The fight between Vinicius Jr. and Benzema shows ‘internal problems’ at Real Madrid
Sid Lowe feels that Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr. will be under the microscope when Real Madrid take on Huesca.
He is not to blame for the entire incident, although when asked about the furious hubbub, Zinedine Zidane offered his own version of “nothing to do here folks, keep going, don’t you have anything better to do with your time …”
That old trick, true, but essentially it’s right too. This kind of thing is the throbbing pulse of professional sports. You would like to think that it is all brilliant ideals, clear, well-planned and inspiring communication, chests full of pure ambition and hearts beating to the rhythm of “victory, unity, effort, self-sacrifice … historical triumph.” ! “
But is not. Soccer, like all high-profile, high-stakes team sports, is less Chariots of Fire and often more about the fire and brimstone of jealousy, squabbling, and self-interest that can interfere with team goals. There is also the oldest, most internal of all: the “I want more!” More money, more trophies, more profile, more sponsorship, more attention, more of anything that fuels the competitive and voracious hunger within.
Excellence must come from these bedfellows not fitting in or jumping over little human flaws that can be ruinous to team play if left unchecked. So if someone painted a snapshot of this week-long mess without paying attention to how subsequent matches unfolded, they would portray him as Benzema, the benefactor, and Vinicius, the victim.
Benzema and Vinicius have found their best form since their confrontation, a positive sign for the players and their all-star team. Diego Souto / Quality Sport Images / Getty Images
As soon as the 20-year-old Brazilian entered against Huesca, literally his first major action, he began to rummage about five meters from Madrid’s penalty area. Two minutes later, while Jorge Valdano, Argentine World Cup champion and former Madrid coach, was talking on television about the dispute between Vinicius and Benzema, the Brazilian stole Eugeni Valderrama in the race, roaring past Jorge Pulido and he dragged a snorting Dimitris away. Siovas accompanied him for 20 meters until he blew up the turbochargers in the final part of his eight-second, seventy-meter sprint, leaving his rival in the dust, and squared a perfect pass for Benzema, who bounced his first timed shot just past above the bar. It was epic.
Epic “disease, “too. It was as if Vinicius was saying” you can doubt me or speak ill of me behind my back, but I’m still going to make history here. Put on the gauntlet as many times as you like; I’ll pick it up. “
It was superb. Vinicius continued in that vein for the rest of the match, and then came into action against Inter when Zidane asked him to salvage a situation in which Madrid was about to finish its third Champions League game with a total of two points. Potential disaster. After a cameo of verve and aggression, changing all the pace and direction of a game that was headed for a 2-2 draw, Vinicius served up a delicious assist for the glorious winner Rodrygo.
Now this is where we are. Benzema, still an absolutely extraordinary footballer, a luxury for all to admire and enjoy, chose the wrong path and the wrong time to let frustration get the better of him. Zidane, coach of the reigning Spanish champions and whose team is eight points clear of Barcelona in La Liga, could well have been judged for having pleased Benzema and left Vinicius hanging on his side by knocking him down immediately after the 2- draw. 2 in Germany.
Vinicius? Perhaps you need to speed up your precision development, perhaps you could be more intuitive about what Benzema needs. But the summary is simple: Benzema is shooting full blast and scoring like he’s in the prime of life, Zidane suddenly leads a team that has scored nine times in three games, and Vinicius is in pugnacious and shocking form, no doubt. strengthened by the whole thing. .
Soccer, as Sir Alex Ferguson said: “Damn hell.” Just when you think you know what is right and what is wrong, which acts are deadly sins and which are not, an incident like this occurs and everything is turned upside down. It’s no wonder everyone makes so much money. Tune in and keep watching Real Madrid, there will be more “disease“to come. Guaranteed.
Source: espn.co.uk
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