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Analysis - Studious Benitez takes long route to Real hotseat

By Tim Hanlon BARCELONA (Reuters) - Fierce ambition and a studious approach to the game have marked Rafa Benitez's journey around Europe's top leagues and he now returns to his hometown club Real Madrid to take on one of the toughest coaching jobs in football. Benitez quit Napoli last week to take over from the sacked Carlo Ancelotti at Real, where the eagle eyes of impatient, and deep-pocketed, president Florentino Perez will be scrutinising him from day one. Perez was at his most ruthless in axing Ancelotti after a season without a major trophy that followed Real’s capture of their treasured tenth Champions League title in the Italian's debut season in 2013-14. Ancelotti’s name was chanted at the Bernabeu in their final La Liga outing last month as fans anticipated his dismissal and his affable approach endeared him to the players, who backed him to the end. One of Benitez’s first tasks when the squad returns to training will be to win the confidence of the team, particularly those like top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo who clearly did not want Ancelotti to leave. Benitez was 19 and hoping to move up to Real’s second team when he suffered knee ligament damage that ended his hopes of a professional career and it was natural for him to move into coaching due to his analytical skills. “It is true that when I played a lot of team mates said that I talked too much but I couldn’t stop myself,” Benitez was quoted as saying in Marca this week. “It was not to blame anyone, it was because I saw things that others didn’t and I tried to do my best for the team. I didn’t lose my temper they were just observations." Benitez graduated from youth team coach at Real to several modest teams in Spain as he developed his coaching philosophy. He would methodically assess training sessions and write down his observations. He took a year out to watch, and learn from, other coaches around Europe in 1999 and following that break began to enjoy success first with Tenerife and then particularly at Valencia where he won two La Liga titles and the UEFA Cup. Benitez had developed a reputation as a defensive coach but attracted the attention of Europe’s top clubs and in 2004 he moved to Liverpool. On Merseyside he will be always remembered for their Champions League win in 2005 but he failed to build on that and the team appeared to have lost its way when he left in 2010. IRREGULAR RECORD Since then his record has been irregular with short spells at Inter Milan and Chelsea before he took the job at Napoli. His style of play evolved at Napoli into a more attacking approach where he preferred to have a trident behind the frontman, typically Real striker Gonzalo Higuain, and he will be expected to deliver entertaining football at Real. However, it is arguable whether he actually improved Napoli and left with the side having failed to qualify for a Champions League place this season. Now, given financial backing at Real, he will quickly need to bring home major trophies, and while in the past he has said he favours the English model, under which managers are given time to bed in, he will not be afforded that luxury. Another season without at least one major trophy and Perez will be looking for a replacement for Benitez, the 10th coach he has hired in two six-year stints at the helm of the world's richest club by income. (Editing by Iain Rogers)