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Ex-Liverpool and Norway defender John Arne Riise says Rafa Benitez knew that succeeding at Real Madrid would be a tough job but that is sad it didn’t work out for his former boss.

Benitez was appointed last summer but was sacked just seven months into his contract after concerns over his team’s playing style, performances in big games, and his poor relationship with some of the senior players in the side.

Zinedine Zidane took over as manager in January and although they lost ground on leaders Barcelona at the weekend with the 1-1 draw at Malaga, has yet to taste defeat in eight games.

In an interview with goal.com, Riise, who worked with Benitez at Liverpool and was part of the team that famously won the Champions League in 2005, said he was disappointed it didn’t work out positively.

“He knew that he was going into a tough job. I was very happy when he was appointed as coach of Real Madrid as I admire him a lot. In fact, I am still in contact with him and I also met him last summer, during Madrid’s pre-season tour in Norway. He lost only a few games at Real Madrid, so I was very sad that he was sacked. But it could have been that his playing style was not what was expected of Real Madrid,” he stated.

Riise was also asked for his thoughts on Martin Odegaard and what sort of advice he would give him as a young player at one of the world’s biggest clubs.

He commented: “First of all, it is important to have people around you who believe in you. His father always helps him to make the right decision. Moreover, when you get to know him, he seems older than he is. He thinks with such maturity – despite being still a teenager. Naturally, people expect a lot from him since he plays for Real Madrid, but I think he can be successful in the near future, especially for Norway.”

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Emilio Butragueno is sure Real Madrid would have controlled the game and secured three points if they had gone 2-0 up against Malaga.

Cristiano Ronaldo gave the visitors the lead just after the half hour mark and was given the chance to double the lead two minutes later when Real were awarded a spot kick. But the Portuguese saw his effort saved by Kameni and Malaga were rewarded for their hard work in the second half with an equaliser of their own.

The draw means Los Blancos now lie nine points behind Barcelona in the league – a huge gap to make up with 13 games remaining. Despite that, the talk from the club following the game was one of defiance and a willingness to fight until the very end.

Butragueno spoke to TV reporters after the final whistle to offer his thoughts on the game and said it could have been very different.

“If we’d gone 2-0 up we would have gone on to control things. But Kameni did very well. It was a tight game for 90 minutes. We were fortunate to get ahead of ourselves on the scoreboard, but we failed to take our strongest moment. The team tried until the end, but we were not able to score.

“The league is complicated, but we must fight until the end. Nothing is impossible. We are focused on the league and Champions League and will continue to fight,” he said.

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Sergio Ramos

Sergio Ramos says the Real Madrid players need to get over the disappointment of dropping points at Malaga on Sunday and focus on their next match – the derby against Atletico de Madrid.

Los Blancos’ hopes of catching leaders Barcelona in the league took a huge dent as then could only manage a draw at the Rosaleda. Ronaldo opened the scoring on 33 minutes but saw a penalty saved barely a minute later. Real were then punished when the hosts equalised on 66 minutes.

Real host their city rivals next weekend in what looks likely to be the battle for second at this point.

Talking to reporters after the final whistle, Ramos said the players were disappointed with the result but would keep fighting for both La Liga and the Champions League.

“It’s clear that not picking up three points was a negative, especially due to how La Liga is and because we had got in front. It’s a shame. La Liga is now a bit more difficult. We have taken a step back but it won’t stop us fighting for the title until the end,” he stated.

And he continued: “In the first half we weren’t at our best but we got ourselves ahead and in the second half when we were dominating, they leveled. We always try to play the best way possible and sometimes doesn’t work out. We had chances to kill the game but we couldn’t convert.

“We have to forget about this game and think about the next one. Every game and each competition require the maximum. We are going to fight for La Liga and the Champions League.”

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Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane says his side’s title bid is not over yet despite the draw at Malaga.

Los Blancos drew 1-1 in Andalucia on Sunday – a result that leaves them nine points off Barcelona with both teams now having played 25 games. Atletico de Madrid sit in second place in the table, a point ahead of Madrid.

With such a big point difference to make up and just 13 league games to do so, many pundits believe the La Liga title is now done and dusted and destined for the Camp Now yet again.

But at his press conference after the match, Zidane was not giving up just yet, saying Real would fight until it was not mathematically possible to win the league.

“It is obviously going to be difficult because we have dropped two points, but we won’t give up,” he stated.

“There are 39 points still to play for. You may think the league is over, but the players and myself don’t believe that. There are plenty of points up for grabs and the others can lose too. I am not thinking of the others, though, but about continuing to work towards our objectives no matter what happens.”

He refuted suggestions his team was not at their best on the day but added it was a tough match that could have gone either way.

“I don’t think we didn’t play well. We have problems with second balls, but we could have killed the game before. In the end we could even have lost, so maybe we have even won a point,” he commented.

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Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas encouraged his team-mates to keep fighting for the league title after dropping two important points against Malaga.

“We are not going to give up. There are many points into play yet and we are going to fight until the end. We are going to fight to have our chances. We know it is complicated, but we don’t lose faith. We will fight for these remaining 38 points and see what happens in the end,” the Costa Rica international said.

“We came here to try to win. We fought and worked, but were unable to win. They played a good match. These things can happen, but we have to get back on our feet after this blow. We tried until the end, but it wasn’t enough,” he added.

Navas also explained why Real Madrid are struggling when they play away: “It’s complicated. When we are the visiting team, rivals are more motivated and run more. We never go to any stadium thinking that we are going to win easily.”

Asked about the upcoming Madrid derby against Atletico, Navas admitted it will be “nice and difficult match.” “We want to win it,” he concluded.

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Borussia Dortmund forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang says he would love to play for Real Madrid if he got the chance and promised his grandfather he would one day play for the club.

The African footballer of the year has netted 30 goals in 32 appearances this season, attracting the interest of the top clubs in Europe who may be on the lookout for a new striker at the end of the season.

The likes of Manchester City and Chelsea have been linked with Aubameyang but the striker says he would prefer a move to Spain over any other league because of his family connections.

Speaking to French sports paper L’Equipe, he commented: “My childhood dream was to play for Real Madrid. I promised my grandfather, who was from Avila some 110 kilometres away from Madrid, that I would play there. I realise that it will not be easy, but is always in the back of my mind.”

The 26-year-old added: “I watched a lot of Hugo Sanchez videos when I was still a child. The somersault I sometimes do to celebrate a goal is a homage to him. Playing for Real Madrid, or even another big Spanish club, would also be a great gift for my mother.”

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Real Madrid defender Marcelo has claimed Los Blancos are not going to give up on La Liga, despite trailing Barcelona by nine points after drawing against Malaga on Sunday.

“We knew it was going to be complicated. We have failed in several aspects, but we will keep fighting. We had the game under control. Now we have to analyse where we have failed and correct it,” the Brazilian explained.

Los Merengues seem to struggle every time they play away from the Santiago Bernabeu. Asked about their problems, Marcelo admitted: “We have drawn today and that is like a defeat. Both home and away games are complicated, our rivals always give their best and it is difficult, but we have to move on.”

Speaking of their chances to win La Liga after this blow, Marcelo was optimistic: “La Liga has always been complicated, and it is even more now. It is obvious that we are below and they have a big advantage, but we have to keep trying. We are not giving up because there are many points still into play.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo kneels on the field during the match Malaga vs Real Madrid JORGE GUERRERO/AFP/Getty Images

Real Madrid dropped two vital points in the fight for La Liga as they drew 1-1 against Malaga. Barcelona increased their lead on the table to nine points, leaving Los Blancos with little hopes of conquering the title.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the score and missed a penalty that could have secured the victory, but the hosts ended up levelling with a goal from Raul Albentosa.

Both teams fought hard from the start to gain control of possession. The visitors look more threatening in the last third and had the first chances to score.

Kameni denied Jese Rodriguez brilliantly after the Spaniard received a super pass from Mateo Kovacic and fired an effort from a narrow angle.

Malaga gained confidence and had two major opportunities to open the score. Juanpi took advantage of a poor mistake from Kroos to advance one-on-one with Navas, but hit straight at the stopper. In the next play, Horta arrived unmarked inside the box, but hit the side-netting.

Los Blancos took the lead after the half-hour mark as Ronaldo headed a Kroos free kick into the back of the net. The Portuguese seemed to be in an offside position.

Ronaldo could have doubled the visitors lead minutes later as he was brought down inside the penalty area, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the penalty spot. Yet, Kameni did wonderfully well to tip Ronaldo’s strike away from goal.

Zidane men gained control of the game in the second half and were able to prevent Malaga from threatening Navas. However, right after the hour mark, Malaga found an equaliser when Madrid were more comfortable.

Weligton cut into the left-hand side of the Real Madrid penalty area before cutting a great cross over to the far post, where Albentosa, who was completely unmarked, beat Navas with a struck side-footed shot.

Isco had the ball in the back of the net five minutes later, as he received a pass from Kovacic and converted from close range, but the Spaniard was ruled offside.

Los Merengues were unable to level before the end and dropped two crucial points in the fight for La Liga.

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Former Inter Milan and Italy defender Marco Materazzi has once again criticised ex-Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez and questioned his record at top clubs.

Benitez briefly managed Materazzi at Inter Milan and the pair never got on. Since they parted ways, the 2006 World Cup winner has been a vocal critic of Benitez, who he says lacks experience and understanding as a player.

Benitez lasted just seven months on the hotseat at the Santiago Bernabeu before being sacked last month. This week, he said in an interview that he felt club president Florentino Perez pulled the trigger too soon and is too impatient with his managers generally.

Speaking to Sky, Materazzi spoke about the ‘facts’ in Benitez’ career and pointed out to a failure to bring success at the top clubs in Europe he has worked at.

“I would be the last person to try and cause problems, but just look at what happened in Chelsea, Napoli or Madrid. In the end the facts speak for themselves. Those words say everything about his behaviour,” he commented.

And the retired defender continued: “I am tough on him, but I do not have anything against him. He came to Inter when I was finishing my career. I understand his situation, but it is sometimes better to put yourself in the place of someone who is not playing, which he never did.”

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Malaga Real Madrid match preview

Karim Benzema will be the main loss for Real Madrid to face Malaga on Sunday. The France international has suffered problems in his hip and will be replaced by Jese Rodriguez in the starting eleven.

Thus, the forward line will be formed by Cristiano Ronaldo and Jese Rodriguez. James Rodriguez will also be replaced by Mateo Kovacic. Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Isco will feature on midfield as usual.

Another doubt was whether Zinedine Zidane would line-up Daniel Carvajal or Danilo at right-back. The Frenchman has decided to include the Spanish defender. With Nacho Fernandez replacing suspended Raphael Varane, the defense line will be formed by Carvajal, Ramos, Fernandez and Marcelo. Keylor Navas will start on goal as usual.

This will be Real Madrid’s starting eleven: Navas; Carvajal, Ramos, Fernandez, Marcelo; Kovacic, Modric, Kroos, Isco; Jese Rodriguez, Ronaldo.

The main doubt in Malaga’s lineup was whether Javi Gracia would include Fornals or Horta in midfield. The Spanish manager has finally included Horta.

This will be Malaga’s starting eleven: Kameni; Rosales, Albentosa, Weligton, Torres; Horta, Camacho, Recio, Juanpi; Charles, Cop.

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