Benitez defends players after Valencia draw

Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez defended his side's performance following a 2-2 draw away to Valencia on Sunday night, insisting his job was not in jeopardy.

It had been speculated in the Spanish press that failure to win in the Mestalla Stadium, where Valencia were unbeaten in over a year, would cost the coach his job, but Benitez was pleased with the efforts of his side despite dropping two valuable points.

"I can't avoid speculation, but I can ensure that my team continues to put in the effort they did today," he said, insisting it was unfair to see the game as two points dropped against a tough rival.

"I think you're missing the point slightly. It's a missed opportunity only if you look at the result. For the effort the team made, my players deserve more praise than anything else," he said.

The Madrid coach said his players had controlled the first 35 minutes of the match, but lamented Valencia's equalizer a minute after Gareth Bale had put Real Madrid 2-1 ahead.

"I don't know if merit is due to the rivals or if it's a lack of concentration on our part. But I praise my players for the hard work they put in tonight," he explained.

Benitez also explained why he substituted Karim Benzema, who had an excellent game and scored Madrid's opening goal.

"He had a slight problem in the training the other day and we wanted to have more control in the middle of the pitch," he said. Endite