Napoli coach praises Real's way of replacing Benzema

Italy Before the big match in the second round of Group C of the Champions League, Napoli coach Rudi Garcia praised Real for bringing in Jude Bellingham and Joselu to fill the void left by Karim Benzema.

"Real did well to sign Bellingham to replace Benzema even though the two players do not play in the same position. And they also signed Joselu," Garcia said on October 2 at a press conference before the match at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium.

Benzema scored 353 goals in 647 games for Real, is a record-holder with the club winning five Champions Leagues and is the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner. This summer, the French striker left the Bernabeu and joined Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League with a season salary of 219 million USD. In addition to Benzema, Real also said goodbye to three other attacking players: Marco Asensio, Mariano Diaz and Eden Hazard.

Bellignham (in black) scored the winning goal in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Girona in round 8 of La Liga on September 30. Photo: AS

Real filled their shoes by signing Jude Bellingham from Dortmund for $110 million and loaning Joselu from Espanyol, one of the three teams relegated from La Liga in 2022-23. Both new signings have started well, with Bellingham scoring seven goals and assisting two in eight games, and Joselu scoring four and assisting two in nine games in all competitions.

But according to Garcia, besides the two new recruits mentioned above, Real still has many other dangerous attacking stars, with technical players as well as tall, strong players who are very strong in set pieces. The French coach believes that Napoli must be well prepared to be ready to contain the choices of his colleague Carlo Ancelotti.

"The Champions League is the best competition, a special moment for every coach and player," Garcia added. "Just hearing the Champions League anthem is enough to motivate you. Napoli have to participate in this competition every season."

Napoli reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time last season, where they lost 2-1 on aggregate to Milan. Asked about his preparation for the game against Europe's most storied club, Garcia said: "It's one of those games that every player dreams of playing. We have to be physically ready, focused, give our all in the Champions League, then have about five days of rest."

Coach Rudi Garcia on the training ground with Napoli on October 2. Photo: SSC Napoli — Coach Rudi Garcia on the training ground with Napoli on October 2. Photo: *SSC Napoli*

Sitting alongside the French coach at the press conference, captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo stressed that he was ready to face Vinicius on the right flank, while also praising the collective play. He added: "The Champions League is like Real's home ground, they have won it many times. But we are ready, we have the support of the home crowd and we will do our best to cause them trouble."

Di Lorenzo played under Carlo Ancelotti - the current Real coach - when the Italian coach led Napoli in 2018-2019. The Italian defender considers it a source of pride to play under Ancelotti and will greet his former coach before the match.

Hong Duy

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