Rafa Benítez, Real Madrid head coach, spoke in the press room at the Sports City of the club a day before the league game against Las Palmas (Saturday, 4pm CET). The manager analysed the game against the Canary Island side: "It is always nice to see historic sides return to the top-flight and I hope that the fans enjoy it, that it is a good game, that we win, and that from then on things go well for them. It will be difficult and will depend on what we are able to do. They have a new manager that will try to impose his personality. We have to impose our will, quality, and ambition".

"I said at the beginning that it was going to be a league season where the sides at the top lose more points than in the previous seasons. It is not going to be a league season with an awful lot of points. Atlético are a really great side, with players that have a lot of quality. They will have to be near the top, and so too will Valencia, Villarreal and Sevilla, sides that can take points from anyone".

Tiredness

"In Paris we kept up our level of play right until the end. It is true that we lowered it in Vigo and I owe that to two factors: Celta were on a run of form and were closing down a lot, and the fact that we were winning 0-2. The team is doing well and the figures are good, and we are managing the burden. The feeling is that the majority of players are in good physical condition".

Medical team

"My opinion and that of many here is that the medical team is doing a really fantastic job. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the coaches that are in charge of the team have enough experience to consider that they are doing a great job".

Keylor

"The priority is always to do the best for Real Madrid and for the players. He is suffering from muscle overload and we are not going to take the risk, not with him or Sergio, James or Benzema. There are lots of games left and we have the resources to tackle the next one".

"When we decided that Marcelo was the only left-back in the squad, we considered that Arbeloa, Nacho and Danilo could be alternatives. From that point on, it is necessary to keep making progress and assessments. It is difficult to find better footballers than the ones that we have".

James

"He is increasing his workload and involvement with the team and that is the progression we want to see from him. He is improving every day and I am optimistic because he is progressing quite well. We want James to recover and score a lot of goals with Real Madrid and with Colombia".

"All of the players that are internationals under FIFA regulations must join up with their national sides if they are fit. We want the player to be in the best possible condition in order to perform with the team and his national side. We take maximum care to make this happen and the only thing that we can do is to coordinate it with the player and the national team manager. We just want him to be in the best possible condition".

Risks

"We have more than ten players that are heading away with their national teams. As the manager you always have to talk to the players, be in contact with and coordinate the team's doctors with those of the national side. We cannot do much more and cannot control each situation with each manager. If I was a national manager I would have another perspective, however I am the coach of a side".

Bale

“All of the players we have right now with problems have their recovery programs and schedules. His progress is going as expected and we do not want to rush things. We want the player to be perfect. There is no point forcing a situation if we believe that there is no point in doing so".

Judgement

"If I wasn't Spanish and from Madrid, arriving here from another country I could say what is happening here. Real Madrid is a really great side, they are usually at the top, that makes a lot of people happy, and others see it differently. As the head coach at this side, in charge of exceptional players, what I can do is manage the group and enjoy being unbeaten, at the top and try to ensure that continues".

Benzema

"He is doing well, getting better. Putting him into a game when he still has a little way to go is risky. We have a good feeling about him and believe that he will be able to train with the side from next week onwards. You cannot set schedules 100% in stone. There may be small niggles or knocks that can delay recovery periods. Our idea is for a lot of the injured players to be back training normally with the group next week"