Let’s be honest, on merit, Rafa Benitez probably should not be Real Madrid manager.
Over the last few years, he has done little to suggest that he is cap-able of successfully managing the most demanding club in the world.
Sure, he registered impressive achievements earlier in his career – leading Valencia to two league titles and Liverpool to two Champions League finals was no mean feat. But that was a decade ago, and in more recent times Benitez’s career has been a story of disappointing under-achievement, such as last season’s fifth-place finish and Champions League preliminary round elimination with Napoli.
Furthermore, Benitez was not wanted by his new players, who remained extremely loyal to predecessor Carlo Ancelotti, or the club’s supporters, who either wanted to keep Ancelotti or appoint a ‘bigger’ name. So the odds are clearly stacked against Benitez, whose chances of enjoying a glorious reign at the Bernabeu have always looked little more than slim.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that – rightly or wrongly – Benitez is Real Madrid’s head coach, and therefore the least he deserves is a chance to fail or succeed on his own terms. Until now, that has not happened, because he has been compromised at every turn.
Compromised because Florentino Perez’s recruitment strategy has left him with an imbalanced squad; compromised because he is expected to guarantee starting places to Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale; and compromised because he is also expected to implement a playing style which goes against everything he has stood for throughout his coaching career.
Working with his hands tied behind his back in such a manner, no coach could succeed – as proven by Real’s paltry major trophy haul of one La Liga title and one Champions League crown in seven years.
Benitez deserves a chance to fail or succeed on his own terms. Until now, that has not happened, because he has been compromised at every turn
On Friday, Benitez forcefully told the media he has enjoyed a fair amount of success with his methods over the years, and that he will never change them. But on Saturday, he succumbed to the internal and external pressures he has been facing to select certain players and play in a certain style by naming a starting line-up to face Barca which went beyond ‘attacking’ and into the realms of ‘kamikaze’.
Judging from the opening minutes, Benitez wanted his players to push high up the pitch, attempting to pin Barcelona deep inside their own half and challenge them to play their way out. Nobody plays like that against Barca, expect Rayo Vallecano whose cumulative goal difference against the Catalans in their last nine meetings is 4-42 – which is why nobody else does it.
If Madrid’s hierarchy (including senior players) have learned anything from the 4-0 humiliation, it should be that their coach must be allowed to make his own decisions.
If that means leaving out Bale and Ronaldo, sitting back and playing on the counter-attack, and upsetting the media by leaving out their flavours of the month (currently James Rodriguez), so be it.
People might not like it, but tough. Benitez is the manager, and he should be allowed to manage in his own way. If he then fails, at least he can have no complaints.
