But speaking with the Spanish media on 23 November, Perez said: “Following a meeting with the club board we want to inform that the Real Madrid manager, Rafa Benitez, has our full support and our full confidence”.
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On his future Bale said on the weekend: “My plan when I first started playing football was to try to reach the pinnacle – and Real Madrid is the pinnacle”, he said in an interview with several national newspapers.
Perez then made a plea for unity within the squad and the impatient fanbase.
“We are convinced that we have a great squad that will give much happiness to a fans that deserves everything”, he said. “More than ever we need the fans to show their support to the team and to the players”.
Some fans have also called for the return of Italian coach Carlos Ancelotti, who helped Madrid win its 10th European title two seasons ago. “We can enjoy it now, but we have some very hard games ahead starting with Roma”, midfielder Ivan Rakitic, who returned after a calf injury, told reporters.
This ain’t over yet, folks. The team has suffered a deterioration since January. Because we have to let him work.
Benitez has come under fire following Madrid’s embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in Saturday’s Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu.
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This of course wasn’t the only reason that Madrid lost El Clasico; having watched the game back, it’s clear that there are a number of elements which contributed to their downfall. The former Liverpool manager signed a three-year deal at the Bernabeu in the summer, but the club’s president said on Monday that “you never know what happens in six months”, per Rose. The mid-fielders Luka Modric and Toni Kroos were hopelessly outplayed, while a tame blank for Cristiano Ronaldo meant he had scored in only a third of games this season. He remained oblivious to the black hole in his team’s midfield up to the 55th minute, when, already 3-0 down, he made a decision to bring Isco in to replace a subdued James Rodriguez, a player who had just arrived from Colombia after listening to his coach say that he was far from his best shape. “This is different, the board supports Benitez completely and has complete confidence in him”.
