SADOH MS' Blog: Rafa Benitez Sacked For Boring Football Playing Style

Many insinuations had poured in recently, criticizing Rafa Benitez of introducing a boring pattern of football style to Real Madrid. This boring pattern was concluded as the major reason why the series of lost games experienced so far in this current season had occurred. The Spanish coach was effectively on death row after the 4-0 defeat to Barcelona - and his faltering reign of boring football and poor relationships reached its inevitable end.

Rafa Benitez - Former Manager of Real Madrid

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Forty-two days. That is exactly how long Rafa Benitez lasted as Real Madrid coach since president Florentino Perez came out to hand his "full support" to the 55-year-old in light of the 4-0 loss to Barcelona in the Clasico on November 21. Real Madrid FC were brutally beaten by the Blaugrana at home and Perez emerged to face the media two days later. "He has our support and our confidence," the president said of the club coach. "Let's give him time to work. I am sure the triumphs will come."

Benitez reaction during a match

But they haven't and nor has Benitez been afforded the time Perez promised. As it happened, the backing was little more than a stay of execution. Jose Mourinho lasted around four months after he was ratified by Florentino, Carlo Ancelotti was gone in just two following a similar vote of confidence and Rafa is out only five weeks on from the president's pledge.

And it is no surprise. Sunday's 2-2 draw at Valencia was by no means a disgrace. However, it was another missed opportunity after Barcelona had been held in a goalless game at Espanyol, and another failure against a quality rival this term. Atletico, Barca, Sevilla, Valencia, Villarreal - Rafa's Real haven't beaten any of them in 2015-16.
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Ronaldo and team mate celebrating a goal

Third in the table and with little signs of improvement, Madrid have decided to take the decision now. At their current rate, Real would end the Liga season with only around 78 points - and that's nowhere near good enough in a championship in which the top two are expected to come close to a century (achieved by Mourinho's Madrid in 2011-12 and Tito Vilanova's Barca the following season).

In truth, however, Benitez was doomed to failure. The former Real youth coach had not won a league title since claiming La Liga in 2004 with Valencia, is without one of the game's greatest prizes since leading Liverpool to the Champions League in 2005 and is neither renowned for exciting football nor for forming strong bonds with his players.

It is arguably the latter point that condemned him from the start. Madrid's dressing room is notoriously difficult to knot together and Benitez's cold man-management style isolated and frustrated a whole host of senior players. There was tension with James Rodriguez, Karim Benzema, Isco, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos, Jesé and Denis Cheryshev, whose selection when suspended saw Madrid expelled from the Copa del Rey. There was also, crucially, an uneasy relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo, who has underperformed in the big games this season.

Zinadine Zidane - New Coach of Real Madrid

The contrast with the man he replaced - the extremely popular and successful Carlo Ancelotti - could not be more stark. The Italian had steered Madrid to a record four titles in 2014, including La Decima, and was well loved by players, press and pretty much everyone else associated with the club.

Just before he was sacked, Ancelotti received a public message of support from Cristiano Ronaldo as the Portuguese said on Twitter that he hoped the two would continue working together, while defender Sergio Ramos also backed the Italian. Ancelotti too had been keen to stay despite a difficult end to the season which saw Madrid miss out on a major trophy as Barca claimed the treble. And after the Clasico loss to Luis Enrique's side in November, many fans called for the Italian to return as coach.

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Asked about the possibility of a second spell at the Bernabeu, the Italian claimed he would be happy to go back. However, he has since signed for Bayern Munich as a replacement for the outgoing Pep Guardiola in 2016-17 and to rub salt in the wounds, he was recently described by former Italy boss Marcello Lippi as "the best coach in the world".

Benitez has not been discussed in such terms since Liverpool came from three goals down to ultimately beat AC Milan on penalties and win the Champions League in Istanbul in 2005. Only once since then has he come close to a league title (as the Reds finished second in the Premier League back 2009) and at Napoli he largely disappointed with a team that was supposed to seriously challenge for the Serie A title.

Up until November, Rafa's Real had not lost in any of his first 14 games, but the team had ridden their luck in some of those, with warning signs there in the 3-1 win at Celta Vigo and then again in the fortuitous 1-0 success at home to Paris Saint-Germain. Too reliant upon the heroics of goalkeeper Keylor Navas, they were soon found out.

Next came a 3-2 loss at Sevilla when the players lost control after Ramos departed through injury and then the 4-0 defeat against Barca set serious alarm bells ringing. The result was bad enough, but it could have been far worse as Madrid were humiliated at home to their fiercest rivals. And Rafa has been on the brink ever since. The defeat at Villarreal before Christmas was another disappointment as Real failed to gain ground on Barca, while huge wins over Malmo (8-0) and Rayo Vallecano (10-2) did little to raise morale - particularly as the latter only arrived after their rivals were reduced to nine men at the Bernabeu.

Madrid had a man sent off themselves on Sunday at Mestalla as Mateo Kovacic saw red and managed to claim a draw. But Benitez's decision to leave both James Rodriguez and Isco on the bench will have been unpopular at boardroom level and Rafa's reaction afterwards will also have upset those in charge as the coach claimed his players should be praised.

He seemed happy enough with the point, but Madrid's standards are higher than the results he has produced so far. This team will not, should not and cannot conform to tying games - especially on such a regular basis. Draws aren't good enough for Real and ultimately, nor was Rafa Benitez. Then again, he never looked likely to be.

SADOH MS' Blog

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