Rafa Benitez has told his Real Madrid players they need to have ‘intensity’ if they’re to beat Athletic Bilbao at San Mames.
Benitez was asked at his pre-match Press conference if he could imagine Barcelona not being able to play in La Liga if Catalonia secedes from Spain, but deflected the talk to the match at hand.
“I imagine a tough game at San Mames. We saw a video of what we did well and not so well against Granada. We’re looking at the details most fans don’t see,” he replied, AS reports.
“I haven’t decided who will play but Athletic will have their usual intensity. We know it’s a tough opponent. Madrid lost their last year so we need more intensity.
“Against Villarreal Athletic brought on Aritz Aduriz and Raul Garcia and were better in front of goal.
“Granada found it easy to pressure us because we were so deep. The centre-backs were meeting the midfielders.
“Toni Kroos? He’s not as quick as Cristiano Ronaldo but he’s very strong. He covered the least ground in our last game. He had dynamism but there were no passing lanes. He’ll help us improve our defending.
“I’ve had 20 conversations with Kroos, because he prefers to speak English. We agree on almost everything. I want to get the best from him and he knows it.
“Last year isn’t comparable to this because Luka Modric’s injury left him isolated. Now there is more competition.
“The fans want the team to run and then the quality appears. Granada’s chances were from our mistakes. Still, we had 20 shots on goal. People know we’ve started better. The race isn’t won at the first bend, but it can be lost there.
“I’ve never won at San Mames? I never played at San Mames. My teams have. Now I’m Madrid Coach and we can win anywhere. We have to prove it every week.”
