Rafa Benitez rejected the tag of being a ‘defensive’ Coach and pointed to Real Madrid’s derby performance as proof.
The Madrid derby ended 1-1 and Marca reports Benitez speaking to COPE and El Laguero about the feeling he is a cautious tactician.
“I don’t do catenaccio, not at all. In Italy it was said I was too attacking. Two years in a row we scored 104 goals, beating Napoli’s record,” he countered.
“[In Spain] I am labelled defensive, of catenaccio, and we are the team that has the most shots on goal and the most goals.
“The proof is in the first half of the derby. Why did the team play so well and why were they so superior to Atletico then? Because we went out to win the game. I never tell the team to drop back. I’ve never done that.
“Last year this team played at Vicente Calderon against a great team and this year we played against Atletico’s best team, the best squad Diego Simeone has had, and for the first time we absolutely dominated all facets of the game.
“What angered me most [about the derby] was the penalty. Sergio Ramos knows he can’t lose the ball that way.”
Benitez added that he feels he has been made welcome by the majority of people at the club, and no one needs to tell him what it means to sit on the Madrid bench.
“I feel loved by most of Madrid. Nobody needs to explain to me what is wanted from Madrid,” he continued.
“The Madrid fans want the team to play well and to win.”
