Real Madrid host Barcelona for the season's first Clasico on Saturday. It's a pressure-cooker of an environment for players and coaches alike, but ahead of his debut match in charge of Los Blancos against their most bitter rivals, no one is feeling that heat more than Rafa Benitez.
It has been a rocky start for the Madrileno. Yes, his team are second in the table, but Benitez has put some of his star players' noses out of joint, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez. Unsurprisingly, he also has locked horns with the Madrid media, all while heading into a match where winning three points is an obligation.
I'm going to make the case for Benitez -- the "facts," as he might say, suggest he's doing a firm job at the Bernabeu -- but before I do, some context.
There's a case Madrid are the favourites going in this Clasico. Victory would put Los Blancos top, equal on points with Barcelona but make them Liga leaders on all other criteria. Yet if they lose -- and stranger things have happened -- cynical commentators in the Spanish media will conclude Benitez will already have permanently lost the faith of Real Madrid president Florentino Perez. Yes, I know, a ludicrous situation for a guy who has won trophies at every club he has coached since Valencia more than a decade ago. (In fact, he has won 12 pieces of silverware since 2001-- not far off one per season.)
But here's the rub. Benitez may be a favourite among the Madrid ultra-loyalists -- a supporter, an ex-player and born in the Spanish capital itself -- but his work thus far at the club hasn't convinced the fans, media or even some of the players. You can already hear the grumbling in the event of a loss, the poison seeping into newspaper headlines: "Benitez out! Zidane or Mourinho in." The positives he's achieved at Real Madrid would be forgotten. How can I be so sure? Because already they are being either ignored or underplayed.
Day after day for the past few weeks, even the Madrid-centric media has run stories that Cristiano Ronaldo thinks "we'll win nothing with this coach." There have been reports of James Rodriguez being infuriated that while Gareth Bale is straight back in the team once fit, James had to wait, in his own words, "two weeks when I was already fit" after his own injury. Benitez then, maladroitly, commented to the media after losing in Sevilla 3-2 on Nov. 8, that "you could see how much Rodriguez still needs in terms of match fitness to get back to where he was." This despite the Colombian adding notable quality to Madrid's display and scoring their second goal.
Substance was added to that rift when Rodriguez scored against Chile last week on international duty and said "people can keep on talking about how I'm not ready to play."
Adding to the discontent, Real Madrid midfielder Denis Cheryshev revealed "there's not much communication with Benitez," a sentiment of almost every fringe player and his coach, and Karim Benzema, when he was fit and scoring prolifically, didn't bother to hide his distaste at always being substituted off instead of playing 90 minutes.
Throw in some intermittent booing at the Bernabeu, plus the Spanish media's glee in prodding Benitez into defensive outbursts about his statistics rather than the quality of his play, and there is an early-season feeling of "open season" on Rafa.
Nevertheless, here are some positive takeaways from Benitez' short reign at the Bernabeu so far.
1. Rafa has gotten the best out of Navas
On "Deadline Day" of the last transfer window, this key member of Madrid's team was entitled to feel unloved and ill-treated. Last season, Keylor Navas played only a handful of games for his new club and without much responsibility on his shoulders. Previously, in club terms, his most demanding moments would have been irregular victories in the Valencia derby or a rare defeat of Atletico Madrid.
In other words, just before the epic task of permanently replacing club legend Iker Casillas began, it was made clear to him that he was surplus to requirements as Real Madrid sought to secure the transfer of Manchester United's keeper David De Gea. Some situation for a new manager to inherit.
Yet Navas has played tremendously well this season -- 28 saves and a league-leading six clean sheets (tied with Jan Oblak of Atletico Madrid). The lion's share of the credit for his form pertains to Keylor himself. But under Benitez's tutelage, an environment has been created where the Costa Rican feels respected and doesn't suffer the embarrassment of Madrid trying to dump him.
2. Casemiro is thriving under Benitez
The defensive midfielder is the darling of the media and many fans for his superior midfield play, interceptions, attitude and increasingly sound reading of the game. But bear this in mind. Arriving back from his loan spell at Porto, this 23-year-old had only four starts for Madrid under his belt in Liga, Champions League and Copa. Credit to the Brazilian for maturing and learning, but there's no question that a raw, inexperienced player is thriving in the system Benitez promotes, and under his personal tutelage.
3. Gareth Bale is fulfilling more of his potential
Benitez's apparent favouritism for the Welshman is part of the manager's difficulties in the eyes of some other players (notably Benzema, Ronaldo and Rodriguez) but there's also little doubt that when fit, Bale has responded to Benitez's one-on-one man management. Under Benitez, Bale's confidence and overall play has improved.
4. Raphael Varane is maturing as a centre-back
Everyone knows that Varane, 22, possesses all the attributes to eventually become the world's best central defender. His development was stunted a little last season under Carlo Ancelotti, as Varane began to rely on pace rather than reading of the game to attack dangerous situations. But, again, under Benitez's instruction, the upward trajectory in the Frenchman's game, judgment and match reading is notable.
5. Coping with injuries
If there wasn't such a poisonous climate against him, Benitez should be getting more credit for coping with the plague of physical problems which have affected his team. Rodrguez hasn't played a single Champions League match, Bale only half an hour and Benzema a match and a half. But they've pretty much won their group.
In La Liga, Bale, Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Pepe have each played fewer than half the available minutes, and Rodriguez has played about a game and a half. Yet Madrid are three points off leaders Barca. In these circumstances canteranos, or youth team products, such as Lucas Vazquez, Nacho and Jese have all flourished and Isco has continued his hard-working trajectory. These are no small achievements.
6. Strong away form
Spanish champions and Treble holders Barcelona have twice conceded four goals in defeat this season -- at Athletic in the first leg of the Supercopa and at Celta in the league. Madrid won on Liga duty at the San Mames and Balaidos. Madrid's only defeat so far happened in the same stadium where Barcelona lost, too.
That all said, it was always going to be difficult trying to pair world-class, self-assured and high-maintenance players who were used to Ancelotti's rather hands-off approach with a micro-manager like Benitez. It would be made more difficult still when, because of injuries, the manager has not had the consistent time in matches to field his best XI and thus convince his players to be patient with his demands via a winning streak.
Coaching time on the training pitch is for defining and refining. Personal relations in those one-on-one moments can help build tolerance, respect and patience between headstrong player and iron-fist coach. But absolutely nothing convinces mustang players, who want to do things their way, more than playing together under a system that wins. Problems might not vanish, but the adrenaline of victory takes over.
It has been to Benitez's great detriment that in these formative months the players likely to doubt him most, attackers such as Benzema and Rodriguez, have been absent from the team. Meanwhile, the single most likely player to doubt Benitez, Ronaldo, has had his wings clipped not only by the playing style and managerial instructions but by the absence of those who help him on the pitch -- Benzema, Rodriguez and, to an extent, Bale. Little wonder Ronaldo's skepticism of the current regime verges on the hostile.
But, as I mentioned, this is a Clasico where the conditions favour Madrid. The majority of their key players have had a mixture of time off, hard rehab or training with no international duty. Those who needed to find fitness have had a chance to do so; those who needed a mental and physical reboot have had that, too. Whether Navas returns in goal is of key importance but with the exception of Benzema's ongoing problems with the French legal authorities, Madrid's preparation has been close to optimum.
Barcelona paint a different picture. The state in which Javier Mascherano, Neymar and Dani Alves return from World Cup qualifying duty remains to be seen, Sergio Busquets wasn't fit to train with Spain following a minor problem against England, and Lionel Messi and Ivan Rakitic just returned to full training this week. The reigning champions have had less rest and more fitness problems ahead of the showdown away from home at a venue where they were taken apart last season.
An advantage for Benitez, yet given Barca's absolute ability to win away from home anywhere in Europe, that perceived advantage will need to be turned into fact, and a victory achieved, if his critics are to be fought off.
Welcome to the Bernabeu pressure cooker, Rafa.
Graham Hunter covers Spain for ESPN FC and Sky Sports. Author of "Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World." Twitter: @BumperGraham.