Benzema shone in the Villamarín

Karim Benzema is going through a purple patch of form. The French striker had an outstanding performance against Betis in Seville at the weekend. He’s the glue that tends to link the midfield line with the team’s attack. He moves non-stop no matter where he is on the pitch, he links up well and he does the right thing every time the ball touches his feet.

What’s more, he’s now turning up for every game, it’s hard to remember how inconsistent he used to be. He looks focused, committed and keen to make a difference. Together with Modric, against Betis he took the majority of the attacking load and only a lack of sharpness in front of goal prevented Madrid taking all three points.

The two, Benzema and Modric, when they are in the limelight for Madrid, have the incredible virtue of making their team-mates play better, coming up with solutions to almost every tough situation and finding passes where nobody else is able to. It’s true LaLiga title looks like a pretty tough call now, particularly if Barcelona win their game in hand over Sporting, but despite that, the feeling on the pitch for Real Madrid is good. They are dominating, playing football, camped out in the opposition half, creating chances and giving everything for the team. I’m optimistic about what lies in store.