Rafa Benitez is to stay on as manager of Real Madrid after receiving the club’s full support despite the 4-0 home defeat to Barcelona on Saturday, reports BBC Sport.
Fans voiced their displeasure in the defeat and called for the 55-year-old to be sacked but club president Florentino Perez has gone on record to say the former Liverpool boss has the club’s full support.
“He has all our support and confidence.” said Perez, “Rafa has only just started his job here. Let him keep working and he will achieve his objectives.”
Benitez replaced the popular Carlo Ancelotti in the summer and has won seven of his first 12 La Liga matches but was heavily criticised for his tactics during the draw with Atletico Madrid and the loss to Sevilla. There is also claims that the Spaniard has lost the dressing room at the Santiago Bernabéu as a number of senior players are said to be unhappy with their manager while Cristiano Ronaldo is rumoured to have told Perez that he wants to leave unless Benitez is sacked.
The lack of relationship with his players has come under fire from sections of the Spanish press, but it appears that is Benitez’s style of management with former Liverpool and England midfielder Steven Gerrard saying in his autobiography that he had a “distant” relationship with the man who in charge of the Reds between 2004-2010.
Madrid legend and French World Cup winner Zinedine Zindane has played down speculation that he is eyeing the manager’s job should Benitez be shown the door and says he is committed towards being in charge of Castilla, Real’s reserve team.
Barcelona ran out 4-0 winners in the El Clasico on Saturday thanks to a brace from Luiz Suárez and a goal each from Neymar and Andreas Iniesta that leaves Madrid third in La Liga, six points off the top spot that is occupied by the Catalan giants.
