Rafa Benítez, Real Madrid head coach, spoke in the Santiago Bernabéu press room after the Clásico. The Whites' manager had the following to say about the match: "Whenever we win or lose we all have a part to play in the result. It hurts us a lot to lose in this manner and against a team like Barcelona. What we need now is to be united, work hard, improve and think about the upcoming game, as well as win the next three points that are up for grabs for us in La Liga to stay in the title race".

"At half time we spoke about lifting our game and finding a goal. The whole team were dying to get off to a good start and that's what we did after the break. At the end of a match, when you lose in such a manner, there's not much you can say. What we need to do now is get ready for the upcoming game and lift our spirits again".

Game plan

"We wanted to attack, press and win possession high up the pitch. We managed to that on a few occasions but not on others, and were made to pay for that. The plan was to pick quality players with experience and personality for a game of this magnitude, but things didn't work out. Our plan was to keep possession".

Attitude

"I wouldn't say it had anything to do with attitude. We were up against a great side; we made mistakes and were made to pay for them. Marcelo's chance at the beginning of the second half was a pivotal moment. If that had gone in we would have been back in the match. That's what we spoke about at half time. After that it became more and more difficult to find a way back into the game, mentally speaking. What I'm most concerned about now is getting the team to recover mentally in time for the next match".

"We showed spirit and created chances at the beginning of the second half. We failed to score and it became an uphill climb after that when they got a third goal. We didn't play well, now we need to get over this result and focus on the next match as soon as possible. There's a long way to go in La Liga and we have to do things well just like we were doing when we were still unbeaten".

Starting line-up

"With the match now over, we can clearly say that the line-up didn't work. I pick my teams by trying to manage the group as best as possible. The players who started have enough quality to do better than that. We are all responsible and now we have to show unity in order to win the next game and give the fans something to be happy about, which is something we failed to do today".

James

"This isn't the time for analysing individual performances. We have to reflect on this and come together as a group so as to get ourselves ready for our upcoming fixtures".

Mistakes

"We made mistakes and paid dearly for them. We lost possession a few times and when you do that against a good team you're made to suffer. Rather than analysing the game, which of course we will do, what matters most now is lifting the group's spirits quickly and getting everyone to see the importance of the upcoming fixtures. We also have a duty to the fans to get three points in our next match".