Rafa Benitez has congratulated his players on their good work during the past days and has claimed “the team have more and more confidence” thanks to the recent victories.
“They’re defending well, scoring goals, working hard and winning the ball back. They’re positives that we’re working on and seeing in our games. The challenge is to carry on in the same vein, starting on Sunday,” he said at a press conference ahead of the La Liga clash against Villarreal.
Asked about their next rival, Benitez admitted “they are very tough, because they’re a really well-drilled side, but we’re after the three points and are out to leave our fans with plenty to shout about.”
The Spanish manager praised the Amarillos boss Marcelino Garcia Toral, claiming they are friends and defining him as “a great coach.”
Asked about the good scoring run of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, Benitez explained “both players are really important”. “They both need confidence and we’re giving them that,” he added.
The Los Blancos boss also cleared the doubts about Sergio Ramos injury: “He is ready to play. We will line him up.”
Real Madrid could shorten Barcelona’s lead in La Liga down to two points and Benitez reminded he had already predicted this season “teams would drop more points than in other seasons.” “It’s pretty tight and it will be that way until the end. We have to keep pace, string together more wins and carry on fighting,” he concluded.
