#360view: Benitez faces tough tests

Andy West 09:13 04/10/2015
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  • Real tests ahead: Rafa Benitez.

    Rafael Benitez’s early report card at Real Madrid would have to read: so far, so good.

    True, Los Blancos have dropped points against lesser opposition in two league games, suffering frustrating goalless draws against Sporting Gijon and Malaga.

    But they dominated both of those contests and really should have won, peppering their opponent’s goal with around 30 attempts on each occasion and only failing to collect three points due to wayward finishing and fine goalkeeping.

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    Two draws aside, however, Madrid have been pretty much flawless, winning every game and doing so with comfort on most occasions.

    Most strikingly, they have been excellent in defence, conceding only one goal in their opening eight fixtures with newly installed first choice keeper Keylor Navas making the long and drawn-out sagas surrounding Iker Casillas and David de Gea appear to be much ado about nothing. 

    And their outstanding defensive statistics illustrate a significant achievement from Benitez in quickly establishing a well-balanced and effectively functioning team unit, despite several key players spending spells on the sidelines through injury.

    Benitez arrived in Madrid this summer with several tactical issues to address, but he has answered them well by moving Cristiano Ronaldo into a more central position, taking Gareth Bale away from the right wing and encouraging a free-flowing attacking approach which at times resembles 4-2-4.

    The former Valencia and Liverpool coach has also performed well in his external duties, generally addressing the media with calm common sense and avoiding stirring up hostilities with Barcelona or other rivals.

    So it has been a successful first few months in charge for Benitez, giving Los Blancos fans fresh hope that he could, after all, be the right man to lead them to a new era of glory.

    But now, as late summer turns into early autumn, the onset of October could be seen as ushering in a new phase of season, starting today with Benitez’s greatest challenge yet: a local derby at Atletico Madrid.

    Without being unkind to their opponents to date, Madrid have had it relatively easy, with Athletic Bilbao being the only team they have faced in La Liga who would expect to finish in the top half.

    That all changes from now, with today’s trip to the Vicente Calderon being followed by a brutal run of consecutive away games which will also send them to Paris St Germain, Celta Vigo and Sevilla in the run-up to an even bigger date: Barcelona at the Bernabeu towards the end of November.

    These next two months will provide plenty of obstacles for Benitez and his players, who will undoubtedly have to come through passages of play when they are placed under heavy pressure from top-class opposition.

    As critics of Cristiano Ronaldo’s remarkable goalscoring feats are always quick to point out, scoring a pile of goals and keeping clean sheets to sweep aside lowly-ranked also-rans is one thing; prevailing in tough games away from home against top quality opposition is another entirely.

    Benitez’s time in Madrid will not be defined by huge victories against the likes of Real Betis or Espanyol. To triumph, his team will have to prove they can do something which has not yet been necessary this season: beating the best. Today’s trip to Atletico would, of course, be the perfect place to start.

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