Following a comprehensive 4-0 loss to Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu in the 231st installment of the storied El Clasico, Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez addressed the media resigned to the fact his side was second best.

A brace from Luis Suarez paired with goals from Neymar and Andres Iniesta embarrassed the home side on Saturday, as a chorus of whistles and boos followed the Madrid-born manager down the tunnel.

The former Liverpool and Inter gaffer, not typically one to state the obvious, was quite candid in his remarks.

"Whenever you lose it’s always bad ... especially against Barcelona," Benitez told reporters, courtesy of the Mirror. "Now we have to train hard and work hard to improve. I hope the team can recover quickly."

Recovery will be key for Real, especially in light of a midweek trip to Ukraine to face Shakhtar Donetsk in Group A Champions League action.

"When you lose in this way there is a worry as to how the players will react," Benitez said. "We’ve paid for our mistakes. At halftime they were angry and at the end of the game there was little to say."

First-half goals from Neymar and Suarez were enough to settle the tie before the interval, leaving little hope for Real despite a spirited start to the second half.

Added Benitez, "I won’t talk about a lack of desire in my team. In the second half we’ve started really well we just lacked a reaction."

A noticeably frustrated Benitez was then asked if he chose the lineup or if that is club president Florentino Perez's privilege.

"I try to manage the squad as best as possible," he said. "I picked players with the quality to do better than we did."