Rafa Benitez‘s first season in charge at Real Madrid has not gone as planned.
The former Liverpool and Inter Milan boss has been under heavy criticism since joining the Spanish giants in June, as there have already been plenty of calls for him to be fired just months into his tenure.
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There has been reported discord between Benitez and his players, especially with stars Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez.
A recent poll in the Spanish media showed that a vast majority of supporters wanted Benitez out, which caused the manager to speak out about a “campaign” against him.
Everything that is open to criticism is criticized and that which is not is manipulated.
What is clear is that there is a campaign against Florentino Perez, against Real Madrid and against the manager.
Each week 13 players are left out of the starting eleven and it appears that these are personal decisions and there is speculation.
It has been like that from the start and there is clear manipulation of information. I can guarantee the relationship with the squad is infinitely better than what is seen on television.
Despite all the speculation, Rafa Benitez has been getting good results at the Bernabeu. The club currently sits third in La Liga, just two points behind leaders Barcelona. Criticized for playing too defensively, Real have scored a league-high 42 goals through 16 matches.
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Real won their group in the Champions League and qualified for the knockout round undefeated, earning the highest point total out of any team in the competition. However, criticism comes with the territory, and Benitez should expect it to keep coming throughout his time in Madrid.
