Rafa Benitez is set to be sacked by Real Madrid after Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Valencia.
This is huge news. Raga Benitez has continually been under pressure throughout his tenure with Real Madrid. After the departure of Carlo Ancelotti in the Summer, Benitez was the unpopular appointment by Real. In charge of some of the biggest names in football, with some of the highest expectations in football, Benitez always faced an uphill task at the Bernabeu. Well, it looks as though his uphill struggle has come to an end.
Real Madrid have some of the best players in the world. With forward players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, complimented by world class players like Toni Kroos and Sergio Ramos, this is one of the greatest teams in the world. A great team breeds great expectations, and so far, Benitez has underwhelmed.
An unpopular appointment in the first place, Benitez needed a quick start to win the fans over. Unfortuantely for him, he has not been able to inspire his side. A particular disappointment was the 4-0 demolition at the hands of their great rivals, Barcelona. Losing any El Classico is an issue for a Real manager. Losing an El Classico in such an embarrassing manner was always going to be a significant hurdle to overcome.
Rafa's time at Real Madrid is up...
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) January 4, 2016
Benitez was able to survive such a pummeling, but not for long. After the draw to Gary Neville’s Valencia, Real now sit four points off top position in La Liga, but crucially, could fall five points behind Barcelona with the Catalan club having a game in hand. It may seem harsh, but an unpopular manager of a side with such high expectations was always going to end one way.