Rafa Benitez Opens Up on Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and More

Real Madrid manager Rafael Benitez has revealed he will rest Cristiano Ronaldo at points later in the season to benefit the forward and the rest of the team.

Benitez addressed the issue during his appearance on El Larguero (h/t AS) on Monday night and also spoke about a lot of other key issues surrounding Los Blancos, including Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos. But it was the manager’s points on Ronaldo that were most intriguing, especially when asked if the Portuguese was “untouchable”:

"

This is another misnomer. I talk to Cristiano every single day and he’ll have a break when he has to which will benefit the whole team. 

He is the one who has told me that he believes in this project and we’re both in accordance with the style of play. There are far less problems than are suggested. Everything gets blown out proportion because of Madrid high media interest.

"

PAUL CROCK/Getty Images

Benitez was also asked about his claims that Ronaldo was not necessarily the best player he had coached. “I see Ronaldo in action every day and our relationship is constantly improving,” said the Madrid boss. “If you ask me, yes, I’d say he’s the best in the world.”

There was talk earlier in the season that there was a volatile relationship between Benitez and Ronaldo. Up to this point, the new boss still seems to be struggling to get the best out of the 30-year-old, with the No. 7 bursting into life for spells in matches but rarely having a sustained influence for a run of games.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

As we can see here courtesy of Squawka Football, domestically Ronaldo is struggling for his clinical touch in front of goal:

One man who has been in excellent goalscoring form of late is Benzema. The French forward notched his sixth La Liga goal in as many games with an early header in the 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid on Sunday, but he was withdrawn from the action in the 77th minute. 

When quizzed on that decision, Benitez hinted he will substitute the Los Blancos No. 9 again in future. “If it needs to be done, yes, I’d change him,” said the manager. “Karim is a phenomenal player and if he could get two goals instead of one, I’d be delighted.”

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Benzema himself has revealed he is “fed up” with being taken off in matches by the manager, per AS (h/t James Orr of the Independent). So far in this La Liga season the Frenchman has only played the full 90 minutes on one occasion.

The game against Atleti was getting a little stretched when Benzema came off. With that in mind, it was clear Benitez was looking to shore things up and utilise the superior speed of Ronaldo and Gareth Bale on the counter-attack. But credit must go to the opposition, who were relentless in their attacking endeavours in the second period.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

However, as noted by Bleacher Report's Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, Benzema is definitely a player who seems to relish these big matches, while Ronaldo does struggle to make an impact in them:

Benitez also discussed the summer transfer saga involving Ramos. The defender reportedly made it clear he wanted to leave the Santiago Bernabeu to join Manchester United before penning a bumper new deal with Los Blancos. 

“I never feared he’d move to Manchester,” Benitez said when asked about the affair. “I saw things developing at close quarters and told him that he was a fundamental player for the team.”

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Keeping Ramos at the club was probably Benitez’s biggest triumph as Real Madrid manager so far. On the pitch, things haven’t quite gone to plan and the patchy form of Ronaldo will surely be a concern for the manager. But overall, there is a clear plan under Benitez and that’s likely to see Real challenging for top honours this season.

Ronaldo may not be too keen on being rested, such is his desire to play every game. However, as he gets older, it’s important the forward makes sacrifices in order to preserve his impeccable physical condition. Benitez is a manger savvy enough to know when best to take Ronaldo out of the firing line, but he’d be risking criticism should Los Blancos toil without their talisman.