Former Real Madrid manager reflects on his turbulent spell with the club – ‘They didn’t give me time’

Former Real Madrid manager Rafael Benitez had a short and turbulent spell at the helm of Los Blancos, taking charge of just 25 matches from June 2015 to January 2016. 

During this time, his team won 17 games, drew five, and lost three. While these results are respectable, the high expectations at Real Madrid meant that even a solid record was not enough to secure his position.

Almost a decade after leaving the Santiago Bernabeu, Benitez still struggles to understand why he was dismissed after only seven months. In a recent sports talk in Italy, he shared his perspective on his short-lived tenure. 

“My Real Madrid played well and scored goals despite having had some difficulties, such as Benzema’s injury,” he began, as reported by Mundo Deportivo. 

“People think I didn’t do well there, but they didn’t give me time, because we were five points behind Barcelona in January, and there was time to change things. 

“Especially Benzema returning, who had been out for a while,” he explained.

Rafael Benitez was dismissed within eight months. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

Benitez’s comments are understandable from a manager’s perspective as he was building something meaningful at Madrid, despite the club’s impatience. 

He felt that with more time, and with key players returning from injury, the team could have regained momentum and closed the gap with Barcelona in La Liga.

His influence is still seen in coaching

The former Real Madrid boss also revealed that his coaching methods continue to influence younger managers today. 

“I went to watch Fernando Torres training and I saidto myself, ‘he’s doing our training routine’. He was doing the same warm-up, this and that. 

“When I saw that he was with one group and not the other, I said to him, ‘Look, you should go with the other group,’ and suddenly he switched to the other group,” Benitez recounted with a laugh.