Plenty of positives from Roma game – Rafa Benitez

Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez has said there were plenty of positives to take from the game against Roma, despite Los Blancos losing on penalties.

After a 0-0 draw at the MCG, Lucas Vasquez missed his kick for Real and former Barcelona man Seydou Keita netted the following penalty to secure the two points in the International Champions Cup competition.

Benitez picked a strong team featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Marcelo and Raphael Varane. Karim Benzema, Isco and Toni Kroos all got game time too.

Speaking to reporters after the game, the new boss said he was happy with what he’d seen considering the players have only been back in training for five days.

There were plenty of positives, the team put good pressure on and created chances. We just have to take those chances. We’ve only been working for 5 days and it’s normal that we’re not quite at full speed. The team looked good to me in a number of areas, but we still have to make adjustments”.

“The most positive thing about the team was that it pressed well, was pretty organised and won balls back. We enjoyed control and carved out dangerous situations; the final one for Lucas was a pretty clear one. The team needs to be given time. In the first half we enjoyed better control and got ourselves into good attacking positions; in the second we showed more energy,” he commented.

And the manager added: “The team has a very good attitude and is showing desire in its work. It was a shame not to be able to give Lazo and Llorente a game, but this is intense training that’s about getting up to speed. Pre-seasons are there to work hard and look at players. Those who aren’t so established have to work hard to show that they want to be here, that’s the norm in all pre-seasons.”