Benitez believes Spain can defeat England later today.
He told AS: "It will be a great match. Spain was the team that maintained the best level so far. Germany also played well, as did Austria, Switzerland. But Spain faced stronger rivals: France, Italy... They were more consistent in terms of playing well and to do what they had to do.
"They made the most of the players. Was there a change? Possession football without progression is a deception. In 2008, Spain had 57% of possession, in 2022 it had 77%. Now it has 57% again. There is a need for a lot of possession, we need more practicality."
Benitez then analysed the performances of Nico William and Lamine Yamal, the two revelations of the European Championship.
"When you have the ease of choosing you can shape the players. It's more difficult when you don't have this ease, like in a club. Nico Williams and Yamal can create imbalance, there are full-backs who come together and midfielders who score goals. We had to create a team that adapted to all this, and so it was."