Karim Benzema — Bellazon

madristar

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#341

Benzema: Real have made me better

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has admitted playing with the Spanish giants has improved him as a player.

After a subdued start to his time at the Bernabeu, Benzema finally seems to be hitting his straps and is in the midst of a good scoring patch.

He scored twice in Real's 7-0 thrashing of Malaga on Thursday and then told AS: ''I've put in great effort in training in the last few months and now I'm reaping the rewards. My fitness is very good and every time I take to the pitch, I am getting better and everyone can see that.

"I'm back to being myself, the Karim from Lyon, only better. I have learned a lot of things since joining Madrid."

In the absence of the injured Gonzalo Higuain, Benzema has been paired with a new partner in Emmanuel Adebayor and he was pleased with the partnership.

''With Emmanuel, we understand each other very well," the Frenchman explained. "It doesn't matter which position I am playing in. The only thing that counts is that I'm on the pitch."

Real play Racing Santander on Sunday and after that the attention will shift to the second leg of their Champions League tie against Lyon the following week.

Real will head into the home leg with the score at 1-1 but Benzema is not getting distracted by the prospect of facing his former club yet.

''We are not thinking about Lyon yet. We have worked very hard in the league and will not get distracted by our game with them."

Los Blancos need to win their game against Santander to bring back the difference between them and Barca to seven points. Anything other than three points will most likely end their hopes to winning back the La Liga crown.