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The French striker was unusually calm after a few electric weeks in front of goal
Zinedine Zidane has no plans to rest Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema as he has vowed to slowly bring Eden Hazard back to full match form.
Benzema failed to register a single shot on goal in Madrid’s 2-0 win over Celta Vigo in La Liga on Saturday and twice missed the target from good positions.
The 33-year-old has appeared in 15 of Madrid’s 17 La Liga appearances this season and only goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Raphael Varane have played more minutes.
When asked at a post-match press conference whether Benzema, who has scored eight La Liga goals, needs a break, after a slightly tired performance, Zidane disagreed .
“I don’t think he’s tired,” Zidane said. “I think he did well and I took him off so another player could play. We’re in a good spell. We’re doing the right things and we have to keep it up.”
Hazard came off the bench for another run late in the second half against Celta as he accelerated his comeback from an injured start to the season.
“We’re going to take it little by little,” Zidane added. “Little by little, we have to recover feelings.
“We have to take it slow and not force anything. He has to get back to his best and take it slow. That’s all it is.”
Madrid’s possession against Celta was 41%, which was the lowest recorded in a win under Zidane at home in all competitions.
The Madrid head coach, however, was happy with how his side managed to handle the game against Celta.
“We played a full game from start to finish,” Zidane explained.
“We controlled the game well, we had a good balance, when it came to pressing and recovering the ball we did everything well.
“You have to control when the rival team has highlights in the game, but the feelings are good, out of nine games we have won six and three draws.”
Goals from Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio gave Madrid the win as the two helped each other in what was the fourth duo to combine into a single La Liga game this season.
Zidane added: “I’m happy for Asensio. He had a serious injury and now he’s doing a lot better and getting better every time.
“Vazquez is very reliable, very involved and I’m happy with what he’s doing. We played a very serious game. I’m happy for everyone.”
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