Guillem Balague: 'Rafael Benitez likely to be sacked'

Respected Spanish journalist Guillem Balague has claimed that Rafael Benitez is likely to be sacked by Real Madrid following Saturday's El Clasico.

Benitez was believed to be under pressure entering the match and that has only increased following Barcelona's 4-0 win at the home of the capital giants.

Despite only taking charge in the summer, Balague has admitted that Benitez's position at the helm of the Spanish club is now precarious following a poor performance and indeed result.

"There is no way whatsoever that this kind of performance - we're not even talking about the result - but the performance, will have no consequences. It has to have consequences. That's how Real Madrid works," Benitez told Sky Sports News.

"That means of course that Florentino Perez will probably get rid of the manager, and if that's the case, what is next? Yet another manager. This is a problem for Real Madrid that will not change unless the whole idea and whole philosophy changes.

"The business plan is brilliant - they're very, very rich. The football plan is very poor, and under Florentino Perez they have won one league in seven years, which suggests that his idea of putting big names on the pitch does not work. Of course, Rafa is not the only one to blame, but it's almost much easier to get rid of the manager."

Real Madrid are now six points behind Barcelona in the La Liga table having also lost to Sevilla in Spain's top flight before the international break.