MADRID // Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez has dismissed reports he has a poor relationship with James Rodriguez and said all he wants is for the Colombia playmaker to play well and score goals.
Rodriguez was one of Real’s standout performers in the midfield in his debut season in 2014/15.
He returned to action recently after nearly two months out with a thigh injury but Benitez has used him sparingly, prompting speculation the pair do not get on. Rodriguez, 24, has only started three Primera Liga games this season and has not featured in the Uefa Champions League.
Benitez, who took over from the sacked Carlo Ancelotti at the end of last term, said yesterday that Rodriguez had his “full support and confidence”.
“There is no problem, he is a great player,” Benitez, who has been under pressure in recent weeks as Real stumbled in the Spanish league, told a news conference ahead of tonight’s Copa del Rey last 32, first leg at third-tier Cadiz.
“The more he trains and plays the closer he will be to the James that we all know and love,” he added.
“The issue is clear. What I want is to see the best James in each match, scoring lots of goals.”
Real are still smarting after leaders and champions Barcelona hammered them 4-0 at the Bernabeu in last month’s “clasico” and although they recovered to win their last two games they did not really convince.
Benitez is likely to give his reserves a chance to impress against Cadiz as Real get their domestic Cup campaign underway on the south coast.
The former Valencia, Liverpool, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Napoli manager also had words of support for Real striker Karim Benzema.
The French forward is under investigation in a case of alleged bribery involving his international teammate Mathieu Valbuena and a sex video.
The French prime minister Manuel Valls said yesterday that the 27-year-old Benzema, who has denied wrongdoing, should not be called up to the national squad. “I support Karim as a person and I am delighted with him as a footballer,” Benitez said when asked about Valls’ comments.
“He is a fundamental player for us up front and makes those around him better.”
Full back Marcelo has not recovered from injury and will not be available for the Cadiz game.
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
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Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
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The five pillars of Islam
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Richard Jewell
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Brandon Stanley
Two-and-a-half out of five stars
Leaderboard
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Draw:
Group A: Egypt, DR Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Group B: Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar, Burundi
Group C: Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania
Group D: Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Namibia
Group E: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Angola
Group F: Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, Guinea-Bissau
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
