Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho insists that Frenchman Karim Benzema is a better striker than this time a year ago. The former Lyon man scored his second and third goals of Real's pre-season campaign as they beat Hertha Berlin 3-1 on Wednesday night. Benzema says he has worked hard over the summer on his game and Mourinho believes he deserves some of the credit for the 23-year-old's improvement. "Today, Karim thinks about football the way I do," the Portuguese tactician told Marca. "He has what it takes to produce a good season. "He is much better than this time last year. I have succeeded in converting him." Team And Mourinho is also confident of improvement from the team as a whole, pointing to his past record as an indicator of what lies ahead. Having taken over Porto midway through the 2001-02 season, he won the league the next year and added a further domestic title and the UEFA Champions League in 2003-04. He then left for Chelsea and added back-to-back Premier League titles during his successful spell at Stamford Bridge. "Football is not mathematics and nobody can guarantee this will happen this season, but my second seasons are always better," he continued. "The results of pre-season are not the most important thing. The good thing is taking shape. Winning is nice because you travel happier. "It was good training for us because the league starts soon and we are gathering pace and intensity. After playing against American and Mexican teams, it has been good to come and play in Germany."
