Report: Rafa Benitez's dismissal 'not a matter of if, but when'

Real Madrid's humiliating defeat in Saturday's El Clasico was reportedly the last straw for the club's Board of Directors in relation to manager Rafa Benitez.

The sacking of Benitez is "not a matter of if, but when," as Real Madrid's board no longer has faith in the Spanish tactician, according to J.I. Garcia Ochoa of Marca. Benitez was only appointed in June, but has already lost the dressing room. He apparently has no support from his squad and "no relationship to speak of" with several big-name players.

The report falls in line with a separate report from AS, who - citing FOX and Gazzetta dello Sport - alleges Cristiano Ronaldo has told Florentino Perez, Real Madrid's president, that either Benitez goes or he goes. Furthermore, Perez will "probably" get rid of the manager, reports Guillem Balague of Sky Sports.

Following Real Madrid's 4-0 defeat to Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu - which marked the first time since 1999 that Benitez lost an official fixture and saw supporters calling for his head - the Spanish media inevitably slaughtered the manager, criticising his lack of creativity and conservatism among other things.

AS' Alfredo Relano said, according to ESPN FC: "He put out the team his president would have played - no changes." Marca's Santiago Segurola echoed that sentiment, saying Real Madrid's team sheet "was the most politically correct lineup one could ask for."

For an idea of how Real Madrid operates like a rotating door, consider Benitez is the club's 12th manager since the turn of the millennium.