Real Madrid News
Former Real Madrid manager reflects on his turbulent spell with the club – ‘They didn’t give me time’
Former Real Madrid manager Rafael Benitez had a short and turbulent spell at the helm of Los Blancos, taking charge of just 25 matches from June 2015 to January 2016.
During this time, his team won 17 games, drew five, and lost three. While these results are respectable, the high expectations at Real Madrid meant that even a solid record was not enough to secure his position.
Almost a decade after leaving the Santiago Bernabeu, Benitez still struggles to understand why he was dismissed after only seven months. In a recent sports talk in Italy, he shared his perspective on his short-lived tenure.
“My Real Madrid played well and scored goals despite having had some difficulties, such as Benzema’s injury,” he began, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
“People think I didn’t do well there, but they didn’t give me time, because we were five points behind Barcelona in January, and there was time to change things.
“Especially Benzema returning, who had been out for a while,” he explained.
Benitez’s comments are understandable from a manager’s perspective as he was building something meaningful at Madrid, despite the club’s impatience.
He felt that with more time, and with key players returning from injury, the team could have regained momentum and closed the gap with Barcelona in La Liga.
His influence is still seen in coaching
The former Real Madrid boss also revealed that his coaching methods continue to influence younger managers today.
“I went to watch Fernando Torres training and I said to myself, ‘he’s doing our training routine’. He was doing the same warm-up, this and that.
“When I saw that he was with one group and not the other, I said to him, ‘Look, you should go with the other group,’ and suddenly he switched to the other group,” Benitez recounted with a laugh.
Real Madrid News
Barcelona superstar reveals desire to face Real Madrid in the Champions League: ‘I would like us to face each other’
The explosion of talent at Barcelona and Real Madrid in recent years has made El Clasico a hugely anticipated fixture this upcoming season.
It has always been one of the most anticipated fixtures in club football, but the hype surrounding it has only increased with the return of Jose Mourinho.
Arguably, the biggest talking point of Clasicos in the past couple of years has been the battle between Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.
The 19-year-old says he would like Barça and Real Madrid to finally meet in the Champions League.
Lamine wants a Champions League Clasico
Speaking on Movistar Plus’ Universo Valdano, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, Lamine discussed the rivalry and explained why Clasicos carry a different meaning for players who have grown up inside Barcelona’s academy.
“When you come from La Masia, from the first Clasico you play you already know what this is about and you know that this match is a war,” Lamine said.
He then turned his attention towards Europe and something remarkably absent from the history of his young career.
“We have never faced Madrid in the Champions League. I would like us to face each other in the Champions League,” he said.
It would certainly be one of the biggest possible ties in European football. For Madrid, however, those words would hardly create any fear.
The Champions League is the competition most closely associated with the club’s identity, and a European Clasico would carry a completely different pressure from the league meetings Lamine already knows.
Lamine’s desire to face the kings of the Champions League shows his fearlessness, but Los Blancos will know that they have the emotional edge in such a situation.
Jose Mourinho will be determined to set the Clasico record straight
It is no secret that Barcelona have had the edge over Real Madrid in Clasicos in recent seasons, especially since the arrival of Hansi Flick.
However, if there is one person who understands the intricacies of the fixture better than anyone else, it is Jose Mourinho.
During his first stint at the club, his battles with Pep Guardiola in these fixtures were so intense that they bordered on toxicity.
He will be keen to get Madrid back on top and gain that early advantage against Hansi Flick, and it remains to be seen how the Clasicos play out this season.
