Benítez: "We have seen a great Real Madrid"

22/10/2015realmadrid.com

Rafa Benítez, Real Madrid head coach, assessed the game against PSG in his post-match press conference. The manager highlighted the performance of his players: "I was certain the team would do well because I get to see them working on a daily basis. We had more chances to win, quite a bit more control over the game than PSG and more shots on goal than them. To have put them under pressure as we did, given all the injuries we had to deal with, means I'll be leaving here a very happy man".

"It's difficult to say if this was our best match of the season so far because we've played some good games. The intensity was relentless for the full 90 minutes and we maintained our tempo with and without the ball. Keeping your tempo is what matters at this level. I can't take anything away from the team's performance. Given the circumstances, we played an exceptional game".

Possession

"I'm not worried about possession but rather the image of the team. We defended when we needed to and attacked and held onto the ball when the match required that of us. Real Madrid were fantastic tonight".

"There's a noticeable effect when you lose a player of Benzema's quality, but those who did play deserve as much praise as possible. Kovacic had a minor muscle injury so we decided not to take a risk with him".

Tactical

"I wanted a courageous, incisive team that would look to attack the opposition's goal. We saw how much of a threat Jesé, Lucas Vázquez, Cristiano Ronaldo were, as well as Isco, who joined in with the attacks from deep. We lacked that little something in attack, but the overall performance was exceptional".

Chances

"The team were exceptional in defence and [PSG not scoring] was more to do with our players' great performances than any fault of their forward men".