Rafa Benitez has made it clear that Cristiano Ronaldo remains Real Madrid’s chief attacking threat ahead of Saturday’s La Liga encounter with Malaga.
The Portuguese has failed to score in four of Los Blancos’ six matches this season, with Karim Benzema finding the back of the net in each, but the Coach insists the No 7 must remain on the pitch if he is to begin firing on all cylinders.
“I think when a player like [Raphael] Varane does well, it’s because of the previous work done by other Coaches, plus what’s being done now,” he said at a Press conference.
“His potential is added to the work of those who see him every day. Competition with other players also makes him better.
“[Pepe and Sergio Ramos] aren’t ready but are doing well. Pepe has some discomfort but is trying [to train].
“He’s not excluded and we’re assessing whether he can play or not. Ramos is improving but won’t be back in time for this game.
“We know [Luka Modric’s] a great player and fortunately there’s a lot of important competition in his position.
“Therefore, if there’s an opportunity for him to regain his fitness, we’ll take it.
“Rotations aren’t a whim. We talk to the players first and thereafter we make decisions.
“If Luka is available, he’s guaranteed to play. If not, we’ll try to replace him with someone closest to his level.
“I haven’t set [Cristiano Ronaldo] a goal target, but I know he’ll score a lot of goals.
“The good thing about this team is that if Cristiano doesn’t score, Karim [Benzema], James [Rodriguez], [Gareth] Bale, Jese [Rodriguez] or Isco will.
“The most important player in a team is the player who scores the most goals, the one who can score at any moment.
“Therefore, you must keep him on the pitch [for as long as possible], and Cristiano is the one with the highest [goal ratio].
“Ronaldo keeps testing the opposing goalkeeper, his numbers are still very good and physically he’s fine.
“He’s always the quickest player on the pitch or the one with the most shots on goal.
“[On James and Bale’s injuries], I’m always very cautious on the subject of injuries as an injury may go well but suddenly develop a problem and the recovery time changes [as a result].
“They’re doing well, as everyone has said, but we’ll have a better idea when they re-join the team next week. If they respond well, they might feature against Atletico [Madrid] next Wednesday.
“If we create chances, the striker normally finishes them off. [Benzema] is a very good player, has many qualities and helps the team.”
