Rafa Benítez: "Madrid didn't have the problems people thought"
The Newcastle United coach spoke to Deportes Cuatro about his spell in charge of Real Madrid, which came to an end in January 2016.
Rafa Benítez steered Newcastle United back to the Premier League last season and has followed that up with a tenth-place finish in the top flight. The former Valencia and Liverpool coach took the Newcastle job in March 2016, just over two months after Florentino Pérez relieved him of his duties at Real Madrid. Benítez discussed his time at the Bernabéu on Deportes Cuatro.
The coach that wins titles isn't always the best
Departure from Real Madrid:
“When we left, Madrid were in the Champions League places and were two points behind Barça with a game in hand. People forget about that. We didn’t have as many problems as people think.”
Judging coaches:
“When you judge a coach, a lot of the time you think that the coach with the most titles is the best, but that’s not the case. You’re able to win titles when your team is better. They say that in football there’s always someone waiting to take over. It’s easier to praise those who have come in and criticise those who were there before.”
Benzema back-up issue was raised
Relations with the Real Madrid squad:
“My relationship with the players was good, and I’ve got infinite messages that could prove it. A player wasn’t happy? Perhaps they wouldn’t be happy here, there, or wherever if they’re not playing.”
Back-up for Karim Benzema:
“Regarding a No.9, we had Borja Mayoral who is an excellent striker but he was only 19. Mayoral was our striker. Morata was the striker the following year, when they won the titles. We said all of that, but we weren’t paid attention to.”