Chapter 654: Chapter 80: Overwhelming Victory—Will They Submit?

Victory after victory has left Levante somewhat trembling.

In the first leg, Real Madrid pummeled them 8-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. In the second leg, even at their home ground, Levante wasn’t confident.

Or rather, they’d long abandoned the idea of advancing to the next round.

Real Madrid’s 5-goal away victory over Getafe was undoubtedly satisfying.

Mourinho was full of praise for the overall performance of the match and didn’t shy away from commending the players.

"To be honest, Getafe is a tough opponent. Before we faced them, I didn’t expect the team to achieve such a victory."

"But they did it, they scored five goals without conceding."

"We kept the game firmly under our control. They wanted to disrupt our formation, but we had Chen. He’s like a calming presence, ensuring the players keep their cool in all situations."

With a smile on his face, Mourinho praised Real Madrid’s good form. Consecutive victories have put Real Madrid in a positive state in every aspect.

Mourinho didn’t shy away from commenting on player performances either.

"In this match, the team functioned as a group. I actually don’t want to talk about individual performances because it’s unfair, but not discussing them also seems unfair."

"What surprised me most were Parejo and Granero. After coming off the bench, Parejo wasn’t nervous at all; he dribbled past players and scored a beautiful goal, assisted by Granero."

"They were both developed from Real Madrid’s youth system."

"I think I’ll give them more opportunities since they performed exceptionally."

"I don’t know if they can reach the level of Chen, but they’re definitely very good players."

Mourinho further affirmed Real Madrid’s performance during this period.

"In this match, we secured another 3 points, which is what we’ve consistently done this season."

"So far, we’ve won 15 out of 17 La Liga matches. In the first phase of the Champions League, we’ve won 5 matches and drawn 1."

"If we keep up this pace, we’ll reach the finals of all three competitions."

"The spirit of this team is to fight to the end."

Mourinho’s words revealed a touch of ambition: Real Madrid aims to reach the finals of the King’s Cup, the Champions League...

This also means he’s seeking for Real Madrid to once again compete for the Triple Crown glory.

Finally, the journalists focused on Benzema and Di Maria. Mourinho expressed satisfaction with Di Maria, saying he was full of threat when on the pitch. If not for Kaka, he could have been a regular starter for Real Madrid.

And Benzema?

Mourinho’s face darkened at the mention of the former "White Ronaldo."

This French center forward’s performance in this match left Mourinho speechless, making him miss Higuain even more.

As he previously compared, if Higuain is a hunting dog, then Benzema is like a useless cat during hunting.

In this match, when Benzema was sent out as a starter, many Real Madrid fans voiced their discontent, questioning why time was wasted on Benzema.

After all, Morata from the second team, and Joselu from Castilla, are both decent players.

Some even suggested post-match that Chen Zhong should be pushed to the center forward position, with either Granero or Parejo supporting from behind.

Others mentioned the outstanding performance of German player Ozil during the World Cup, but that voice was faint as Ozil has gradually become marginalized at Real Madrid.

In this match, Benzema was actually a focal point on the pitch.

Benzema didn’t score in this game, and when he was on the field, Real Madrid seemed to be a man down. Some fans even felt Benzema’s most suitable position might be on the bench.

Barcelona’s media even drew a cartoon of Benzema bewildered on the bench, being forced to play on the field.

This French forward has had bright moments this season against weaker teams.

But against a formidable Getafe, Benzema lost confidence as the match progressed.

This even directly led to polarized evaluations of him.

The same situation received two different critiques.

For example, one side praised his activity and participation in attacks.

The other side bluntly stated that this was a waste of attacking chances.

Some even commented: "Benzema might have psychological issues. It’s not that he lacks opportunities in matches; many teammates provided him with chances. But sometimes he’s too apprehensive and lacks the confidence to seize scoring opportunities."

After the match, Mourinho didn’t single out Benzema’s performance, but various replays and the developed internet caused many Benzema videos and GIFs to circulate.