Wednesday evening saw Real Madrid comfortably dispatch Elche in a 4-0 La Liga victory at the Santiago Bernabéu. Karim Benzema scored two penalties and created danger throughout the game as the home side secured the win.
In a press conference that appeared on Mundo Deportivo, Carlo Ancelotti showed to have been more than happy with Los Blancos’ French star:
“Karim is more than just a striker. He’s very complete, he combines well with his team-mates, today with Rodrygo especially, he’s always ready in the box, and he helps when we have possession.”
Ancelotti also tested out a new midfield, with Fede Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, and Dani Ceballos forming a trio. The Club World Cup had seen Toni Kroos, Aurélien Tchouaméni, and Luka Modric driving the heart of the team, but Madrid’s plethora of capable midfielders gave Ancelotti plenty of room to safely make rotations.
The Italian coach said that Tchouaméni would return in the next match, and the players he chose to start in this game were in good shape. Ceballos in particular has been in good form, a fact which wasn’t lost on Ancelotti:
“Ceballos is doing what he has to do, with seriousness and professionalism. He’s making good use of the time we’ve been giving him, and we’re delighted with him. The fact that the Bernabéu recognises this as well is doing wonders for him.”
Nicolás Antúnez de Mayolo | GSFN
