Benzo on the Upcoming Season

By: John | August 9th, 2008

Lyon’s favorite son and patron saint of goal-scoring, Karim Benzema expressed his feelings about the upcoming season in a recent interview in L’Equipe. Karim speaks about the changes in the club this season, as well as his thoughts on his coaches- new and old- and his newfound superstar status on the pitch. I had some problems with a sentence or two, but you’ll get the overall picture. Here is the the verbatim interview:

Reporter: Karim Benzema, what has changed at OL since last season?
Benzema: There are new players, a new team, a new coach. But above all, the number of “pupils” is larger. There is more choice, above all offensively. That there is more competition at all positions, forces you to give-it-your-all. You see it on the practice field, no one gives up.
Reporter: This strictness, has it been the main change since the arrival of Claude Puel?
Benzema: For me, the difference between this year and last is purely tactical. With Alain Perrin, you worked purely on the offensive aspect. Now, we work more to tactically defend, as a solid unit. Last year, there was no defensive rigour and we gave up too many goals. We didn’t want to commit the same mistakes[this year].
Reporter: What does Sunday’s match vs. Toulouse FC mean to you?
Benzema: It’s important to show that OL is here! We play at home, we don’t really now how Toulouse is going to react. We must not rush, and calmly wait for the right moment even if it means waiting till the last minutes to score.”
Reporter: Is Lyon the favorite to win L1?
Benzema: Yes, like every year. Everyone will want to beat Lyon. Therefore, it will be more difficult. But I see Lyon as champions[again].
Reporter: And in the Champion’s League?
Benzema: We must go as far as possible, raising the bar even higher and getting past the quarter final round. The objective of the club is to win Le Chammpionat. But to choose between the two, I would pick winning the Champion’s League. That’s not to say that we won’t give-it-our-all in the Championnat.”
Reporter: On a personal level, what do you expect from the new season?
Benzema: I always want to do better. Scoring, to score…I don’t put any pressure on myself. In terms of number of goals, I don’t set specific objectives, but why not do better than last season?
Reporter: After two seasons on the rise, you will be eagerly anticipated[by defenders]. How will you approach it?
Benzema: Last year, they didn’t know me too well. This year, defenders will want to mark me more closely. It’s my responsibility to work well, to make good calls in order to score. I spoke to the coach about it. I’ll try to make less of an effort to break-away. I’ll try to run around all over the pitch less. The goal is to have enough “juice” in order to be decisive in the last “30 meters.”
Reporter: Do you wish to take on more responsibility within the group?
Benzema: Yes, because I have new status. But, I’m still young and there are older players. Even if I’m a starter, I have to respect them. If I have to ask them for advice, then I’ll do it. They say that I’m one of the leaders on the field. On the French national team, not yet. Even if I am a starter, even if I’ve played matches during the Euros, I’m still learning.
Reporter: In the game, in which area do you need to progress?
Benzema: Headers, straight away.