Keylor Navas feels Real Madrid are still firmly in the Liga title race following their 2-0 win over Eibar on Sunday.
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Cristiano Ronaldo has been one of the most criticised players this week, but Benitez stood for the Portuguese when asked at the press conference: “He got a goal, created chances and worked for the team”.
“I don’t share the opinion that he caused a decline in the team’s performance level”, said Benitez.
The fact those defeats came against top side, Barca and second placed Atletico Madrid show the size of the task awaiting Madrid for a game in which anything other than a win will be viewed as a catastrophe.
Both sides qualified for the Champions League last season but have struggled in this campaign.
Benitez overhauled his lineup against Shakhtar from the starting 11 that imploded against Barcelona.
Benitez is likely to deploy Pepe and Nacho in central defence for the Eibar match on 29 November, with Dani Carvajal and Danilo likely to start in the full-back positions.
Much of the post-match criticism was aimed at Kroos’ display, but Benitez moved to defend the Germany midfielder.
Villarreal, which has only won once in the last seven rounds, was left in sixth place.
“We know we still have things to improve but getting the win today was important”, he told Canal Plus.
Madrid’s already thin backline took another hit when Raphael Varane picked up an injury in Lviv. “Their goals are two lapses in concentration that could have been avoided, that’s all there is to it”, he was quoted as saying by Real’s website after the match.
Ronaldo’s wayward afternoon in front of goal continued when he somehow failed to hit the target with the goal at his mercy after rounding Riesgo from Lucas Vazquez’s pass.
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Striker Borja “Baston” Gonzalez leads the team with six goals. But we have to improve, go out onto the pitch and give everything in every game.
