Early Doors - Your morning briefing blog

Round the Benz

Thu Oct 22 04:48PM

Karim Benzema has criticised his Real Madrid side for their attacking play. According to the striker, Real have too many forward players and they get in each other's way.

He said: "Our problem is that we don't do what we practise in training. In training we look to open up the wings, to get behind the defence.

"But in games we don't manage to spread the game to the flanks. We all get in each other's way as we try to play through the middle."

A forward having a go at his coach for picking too many attackers sounds to ED like Nick Griffin turning against obnoxious tubby white men, and it seems all is not well with one the Bernabeu's expensive summer recruits.

Madrid daily AS has reported that Manuel Pellegrini is less than impressed with Benzema's attitude and application - and is thinking of freeing more space up front by consigning the Frenchman to the bench.

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Elsewhere in surly Real Madrid player news, Cristiano Ronaldo has clearly found a good way to while away the hours as he recovers from injury.

Ronaldo has recorded his own version of a cheesy love song called 'Amor Mio' for an advert for a Portuguese bank (exactly why Banco Espirito Santo feel Ron's atonal crooning is a good way to promote their services is anyone's guess).

ED knows this video has been floating around the ether for a few days, but it is definitely worth watching.

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England women's coach Hope Powell has denied rumours linking her with the Grimsby Town job.

The 42-year-old has spent over a decade in charge of the national team, and led them to the European Championship final in Sweden this summer where, predictably enough, they lost to Germany.

If she were appointed, she would be the first female boss of an English league club. Except Cherie Lunghi, obviously.

However, Powell said the story was "completely unfounded", adding: "I have not been approached by or spoken to anyone from Grimsby FC."

- - -

WORD OF THE DAY: 'Moron'. The word used to describe the Rangers fan who racially abused Maurice Edu in a superbly to-the-point club statement.

FOREIGN VIEW: Much-travelled former Italy striker Christian Vieri has announced his retirement.

"I don't want to play anymore and I'm not even tempted to play abroad," the 36-year-old said at a court case where he has accused former club Inter Milan of spying on him when he was player there at the start of the decade.

Vieri, who also counts Juventus and Atletico Madrid among his many clubs, was last at Atalanta but left at the end of last season and a recent trial at Blackburn Rovers was not successful.

Comments1 - 22 of 22

burst!!
From jay8my on Thu Oct 22 04:49PM
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too many strikers, all getting in each others way! lmao - the ego's must take up a lot of space!
From doobie.doobiedoo on Thu Oct 22 04:59PM
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too many attacking minded players....Raul?Higuain?Benzema?Kaka?Ronaldo?and even Marcelo...ofcourse it they will get in each other's way
From fahmi_yusoff on Thu Oct 22 05:15PM
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there comes the problem,shld never hv gone there in the first place.
From nelson_abiche on Thu Oct 22 05:24PM
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Typical Madrista attitude. At the beginning of the season I thought they would challenge for honors in all competitions but after watching the Milan tie and their attitude without C.ronaldo on the field over the past two weeks . . . I am not convinced
Benzema should leave the strategic musings to the experts (or to Domenech's astrologer)
From keithanthonymurray on Thu Oct 22 07:03PM
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What about Mrs Redknapp she has been in charge at Portsmouf, Southampton,back to Portsmouf before joining Tottenham Last season ?
is Ronaldo singing that he loves himself so much he wishes he was Brazilian ?
Benz should have thought twice before joining the European Ueber Donkeys and Real Madrid, Barcelona would have been a much safer bet
From arttidesco on Thu Oct 22 07:04PM
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Too many @#$% players is madrid's problem
From saeed_wazza90 on Thu Oct 22 07:35PM
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Benzema and Ribery have Anelka Syndrome. Good players,skilled, but talk too much usually negatively. Watch for Gourcuff and Nasri to emerge as the best players of the new French generation. They know how to shut up and play
From th_oyster08 on Thu Oct 22 09:10PM
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should have gone to ManU,
From jumaford on Thu Oct 22 09:18PM
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i said it in the summer, the guy has got a massive attitude problem and they paid way over the odds for him, i think i'm right in saying that ben arfa was drummed out of lyon cos of an argument with him. higuain is the much better player. who was scoring goals last year and shouldn't have been dropped for this guy. got to agree with other comments about gourcuff and nasri both look like they could be brilliant, milan should never of let gourcuff go another vieria situation there i think.
From noggin5180 on Thu Oct 22 09:51PM
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Benzemma is arrogant. He thinks he is better than Ronaldo. Well he is not.
From jrad878 on Thu Oct 22 09:52PM
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benzema is a footballer - griffin is an evil and stupid facist - other than beginning with'f' there's no comparison
From lanegold on Thu Oct 22 10:17PM
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Ronaldo HAHAHA Overated, overpaid and thank God no longer over here. R. Madrid? Benzema is right. They haven't got a defender that would get into a ny UK championship side.
From charlie_moslin on Thu Oct 22 10:40PM
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The sale of the Gourcuff ranks up there alongside Real's sale of Makalele, as one of the worst decisions ever made by a footballing director. Not only do they sale their ready-made replacement for the recently departed Kaka'... but to make matters worse, they sold one of the future stars, and already a great central midfielder for his age... for a paltry 10m Euros.
Galliani will always be a money-hungry idiot who tries his best to line his own pocket from transfers. Do you notice he went out of his way to cancel three purchases last summer? (Fabiano because they asked for 15m instead of 12.. wtf? Cissokho because he had "tooth" problems... Lloris because he felt the need to recall another overage average keeper in Storari).
The sooner Milan get rid of him, the sooner they'll get their prestige going back in the right direction.
From wa.irvine on Fri Oct 23 12:30AM
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I have to admit that MIlans summer transfer activities were a waste of time. Sold of Kaka and Gourcouff and never replaced them , then told Pato basiclally to hold the ship . Huntelaar hasnt exactly set the world on fire at the San Siro either and is still looking for his first goal. Fabiano transfer was a botch up , Milan needed is poweful presence infront of Pato. Instead they have an aging Inzaghi as backup and that doenst inspire confidance if Pato gets injured and you have a misfireing Huntelarr
From csinclair366 on Fri Oct 23 07:38AM
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2wa.irvine. Well, Gourcouff never played important part at Milan. I dont remember him making start any important match. Unlike Makele at Madrid. So it was good for him to leave and not bad for Milan.
From algispalanga on Fri Oct 23 07:48AM
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Well, there you have it....Benzema wouldn't have had this problem if he had signed for Manchester United like he was going to....then of course, Real Madrid had to get in there with the whole 'lets buy every great footballer in the world' approach. Real, you need CR7 back in your side pretty sharpish as you clearly aint doing well without him....funny that, coz United are flying HIGH!
From jj_moore69 on Fri Oct 23 07:48AM
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BETTER TO SEND SOME TO RAFFA, HE NEEDS STRIKERS, DEFENDERS ACTUAALY ANYONE WHO IS AVAILABLE.
From alan696945 on Fri Oct 23 08:49AM
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CHARLIE_MOSLIN: You still on Drugs, THE EPL DOES MISS RONALDO, Not an MU fan, but a football fan and I loved watching him play. You must be a Scouse idiot, Liverpool eyes only, could not tell a footballer from a boiled egg.
You are stupid, crawl back on the Kop and start practising all the filth for this Sundays game You Moron.
From alan696945 on Fri Oct 23 08:57AM
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There was a time when it was a great day out going to a game at Anfield, alas those days are long gone, now I would rather spend 90 min in a dentist chair having fillings.
From alan696945 on Fri Oct 23 09:00AM
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I live in France and i'll tell you what Benzema was trying to say cos i know him too well. He was trying to say that "THEY (Ronaldo and co) all get in each other's way as they try to play through the middle, LEAVING ME (which is him, Benzema) AT THE EDGE" ..When he plays bad, he finds someone to accuse.
And hey..Christiano Ronaldo sings well..hahahahhaaaaa...
From gudy2shoeskol on Fri Oct 23 09:07AM
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It doesn't matter his role at Milan algispalanga... he was on loan for most of the season anyway..
the points are:
1. he is one of the best midfielders in the world already despite his age
2. he was a ready made replacement for Kaka, so once Kaka had been sold... why sell Gourcuff as well?
3. despite his evident ability... despite his young age which Milan need some players of... they sold him for a figure of 10m euros... now i don't know about you, but there is no way a player of his calibre is worth £7m.
From wa.irvine on Sat Oct 24 02:54PM
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