Solari: "Benzema is a very generous player; he's playing in a lot of pain"

Santiago Solari faced the media in Valdebebas this afternoon to chat about Real Madrid's league meeting with Espanyol in Cornellà tomorrow night.

The team's last few games have generated cause for optimism... We need to keep doing what we've done in the last few matches - maximum concentration from the first second. We need to inject all of the intensity and energy we showed in the previous two games.

Handling a big squad

Being fair as a coach: I try to confront the game with the best possible guarantee of winning. That's what we try to do, as well has making sure everyone is fully committed, involved, focused and working with happiness every day - that's not easy when you have a large squad. It's not easy because everyone wants to play but that's impossible - it's simple maths.

Neymar and Vinicius. Vinicius is football - like any other footballer: Courtois, Keylor, Sergio Ramos… The referee's job is to apply the regulations and they do the best they can.

How do you think Madrid fans see you? That's a question for them. I value the efforts of the players who are the one who stand up to be counted, train, put their heart and soul into every training session to ensure they go into games in the form they've been showing recently.

Praise for Benzema

Benzema. He's had a long career with many high points. He's in a great moment - he's having a great season. He's a very generous player in the way he understands football. He brings out the best in the players around him. He's making huge efforts in every game. He's playing every game and showing his generosity because he's been in a lot of pain so he's being generous in every sense of the word.

Isco. Here, the only battle facing the team is the next game and we are confronting it as a team. Now we are almost a complete squad, we're only waiting for Keylor and Vallejo and we'll be fully fir for the next battles that are coming up - the first of which is tomorrow, against Espanyol.

Bale. Football is always about the next game and we'll see who plays tomorrow and who plays next week. Right now, the most important game is tomorrow's. Gareth is vital for us because he's a fantastic player.