The club said they understood why I was unhappy and promised they'd let me leave in the summer if an offer came while Benitez was manager. There are also easier fixtures than playing away against Wolves (with a rotated side) and Brighton as well as facing Chelsea at Anfield, as Liverpool has had to do recently. "I just thought, 'am I so bad that they want me to leave and they want him?'. He was highly regarded for his tactical acumen[136][137] particularly in European ties, setting his team up to exploit opposition weaknesses. End of story.". [111] However, the team was relegated to the Championship due to rivals Sunderland claiming 12 points from their final six fixtures. "As a player, you just want a bit of fun, to make training good and lively. You could benefit from new challenges and weve bought a new left-back that we intend to rely on Liverpool had purchased Andrea Dossena from Udinese for 7million, but that kind of thing had happened before. Liverpool finished third in the league, missing out on second place by one point. [61] Buoyed by the Club World Cup victory, he told the European champions to back him with new signings or consider whether they wanted to keep him as coach, despite the side having won the treble only a few months earlier. [44] Bentez defended his decisions, arguing Liverpool's slow start was due to key players such as Steven Gerrard being below par.[45]. The previous season when we finished second in the Premier League, I was happy with my performance in the final months but I was not sure if the manager thought I was a good player,. . Home. Making 52 appearances in 2006/07, that dropped to 25 in 2007/08 while he was frozen out in 2008/09 altogether, featuring just four times and making only two Premier League starts before being sent on loan to Portsmouth. Liverpool fans will surely be fascinated to hear Rafa Benitez reminisce about his time in charge of the Reds on the club's official podcast. Ryan Babel was just 20 when he joined Liverpool from Ajax in an 11.5m deal in the summer of 2007. But once Benitez had decided to sacrifice Alonso to bring in Barry, the writing was on the wall. While Premier League Team A vs Premier League Team B is meant to be the main attraction of the Sky Sports show . [147][146] Francisco died in December 2005 while Bentez was in Japan for the FIFA Club World Championship. [3][4][5], In 1979, Bentez was selected to play for the Spain Youth U-19s at the World Student Games in Mexico City and he scored a penalty in the opening game, a 100 win against Cuba. It was the club's 10th Premier League defeat of the season - and their ninth in their last 12 league matches - to leave . He tried to destroy my confidence. [117] However, in an interview with The Athletic in December 2020, Bentez stated he was left no choice but to leave the role due to disagreements with Ashley, describing him as "a businessman who I don't believe really cares about his team. In the next game, a 00 draw against Canada, he was injured in a hard tackle. As a right winger/midfielder, Steven Gerrard had the most productive seasons trophy-wise, claiming a Champions League title, and an FA Cup. [121] Before signing the contract, he was a subject to threats from a group of Everton supporters who opposed his appointment and who left a banner near his home, reading "We know where you live. [24][140], Bentez is a firm believer in squad rotation and zonal marking. He guided Segunda Divisin club Extremadura back to La Liga in his first season in the 199798 season, but the team was relegated the following season. "I have to finally tell Rafa I'm leaving because maybe he's not aware of it, he said. Don't sign. However, as the labour dragged on, the Reds boss had a decision to make as he went ahead without the midfielder and ultimately snubbed Alonsos offer to fly out on the day of the game. Yet he scored just one Premier League goal in the second half of the season and was sold to Aston Villa in. The man management was down to his staff. [84], On 27 February 2013, following a 20 win at Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fifth-round, Bentez heavily criticised the Chelsea board for giving him the title of "interim manager" and the Chelsea fans for their protests against him. Joshua Askew -. In 2004, another La Liga league title and a UEFA Cup victory were added building on the foundation laid by Hctor Cper who had taken Valencia to two consecutive Champions League finals; in 2000 against Real Madrid, and in 2001 against Bayern Munich. I repeat, if they come back in today they must pay double., I felt he was treating me unfairly, but thats how Rafa operated. [74][75] This was followed by a 00 draw at home to Fulham and a 31 loss to West Ham. [132] In a match in April 2009 when Allardyce was manager of Blackburn, he accused Bentez of arrogance over a gesture he made when Fernando Torres scored Liverpool's second goal. [128][129], On 9 January 2009, Bentez delivered a controversial appraisal of certain aspects of Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure, accusing Ferguson and Manchester United of being nervous because Liverpool were at the top of the league,[130] then accused the Manchester United manager of not being punished for breaking FA rules, suggesting he was "the only manager in the league that cannot be punished for these things",[130] referring to Ferguson not being punished following an FA charge for comments he made about officials Martin Atkinson and Keith Hackett following an FA Cup tie with Portsmouth. [6], The first attempts by Bentez at senior management away from the Real Madrid fold were less than successful. He had to protect his interests, but it was hard to be on the receiving end of it., Knowing he would leave Liverpool at the end of his contract in 2007, Dudek at the time said Benitez had treated him like a slave.. If they come back today to buy you, they need to double their offer as this is the last day of the transfer window.. [93], On 27 May 2013, it was announced that Bentez had signed for Napoli, whose manager Walter Mazzarri had resigned. He moved away from Real Madrid in 1995, but management spells at Real . Bentez, however, did reach his first English domestic cup final, losing the League Cup final against Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium 32 after extra time.[17]. [97] Napoli finished third in Serie A in 201314 to qualify for the next season's Champions League. Rafa Benitez believes Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium could be key to who wins their Champions League clash with Liverpool. [citation needed], Bentez has also had confrontations with Sam Allardyce when he was manager of Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers. He also worked as a commentator/analyst for Eurosport, Marca, El Mundo and local Madrid TV. Meanwhile in an interview with the Independent, he said: He (Benitez) promised me certain things at this time to help me develop which I thought was the same as Ajax but at a different pace. [95], In his first season in charge, Bentez guided the club to victory in the Coppa Italia, defeating Fiorentina 31 in the final,[96] and into the last 16 of the Europa League, exiting after a 32 aggregate defeat to Porto. [18], In the Champions League, however, Liverpool fared differently. "When a player knows he is a slave, he'll never give his employer his heart.. Bentez's demands were dismissed out of hand by the Inter ownership, with Massimo Moratti refusing to comment on Bentez's continued employment by the club. "Stevie was unbelievable playing that 10. Ill have Scott and a kid from the Academy. He then left Napoli and became coach of Real Madrid in June 2015 on an initial three-year contract. [35] Bentez had reportedly intended to sell Xabi Alonso to fund the purchase of Barry, but Liverpool CEO Rick Parry was reported to have prioritised signing Robbie Keane over Barry, causing tension when Barry did not arrive. I had played for five years at Anfield and then never got a game when Benitez arrived, apart from three in the Carling Cup. "Honestly, Rafa was a nightmare like that. This view was later supported by Sir Alex Ferguson. "I'll only leave if I go as a free agent. Therefore, I'm happy to give you some advice for emulating his Liverpool 4-2-3-1 tactic. - Heart stops when I see the draw for the semi finals of the league and we drew Cardiff. He was appointed manager of Real Valladolid for the 199596 season, but was dismissed after only two wins in 23 games with the club bottom of La Liga. Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo scored the goals in the first half to hand Liverpool a much-needed victory. He also enrolled as a student at INEF, the sports faculty at the Universidad Politcnica de Madrid and in 1982 he obtained a degree in physical education. Liverpool were hit with budget restrictions in 2006, and then-reds boss Benitez was only given 10 million to spend on a right-midfielder. I meet him from time to time like at Pepe Reinas wedding, or some family parties.. After so many years, thats something wonderful that stays in your memory forever". "Yet even now they are talking about signing another centre half.". [76][77] On 5 December 2012, Bentez recorded his first win as Chelsea manager, a 61 victory at home to Nordsjlland in the Champions League. That was why, when Pako Ayestarn (his assistant) went, they had a parting of the ways and things started to go downhill a bit.". "I was furious with him, absolutely fuming, and in my head I could hear a devilish voice saying punch him in the face punch him in the face and hell let you go to Germany. This is nonsense and it is a fabrication that I wanted to leave the stadium. Footballers love seeing a bit of confrontation on the training ground! If your player didn't start or saw a red card, or you picked the wrong player, captain, or other, this is the place to share all your rants. Sometimes there were rows, others were just ostracised from the team, but all of them knew their Reds days were numbered after crossing paths with the Spaniard. He said he understood and liked my desire to be playing so negotiations with Kln continued. I really need to play games to be prepared for the World Cup.. With all info about the gameweek - lineups, bonus, and . Further injury problems saw him miss almost the entire 198586 season and he subsequently retired as a player. John Barnes is more worried about Manchester United coming to Liverpool on Sunday than he has been in recent times. John Arne Riise was another player who had his future taken out of his own hands by Benitez, with the Spaniard telling the Norwegian it was time for him to move on. I knew I had to get away from Benitez. The amount of time in training that wed do shape, tactics and nothing else! [88], In the Europa League final against Benfica on 15 May, Chelsea won 21. [22], Dudek's heroics in the final were not enough for him to stay as first-choice keeper, as newly signed Pepe Reina replaced him in from the start of the 200506 season. Given Benitezs reputation as one who cannot call upon humane man-management as one of his skills, it is understandable why it is believed their relationship broke down from that moment. So I hadnt expected this. Trump was so enraged at mockery by late night host Jimmy Kimmel he tried to get him censored, report says He moved away from Real Madrid in 1995, but management spells at Real Valladolid and Osasuna were short-lived and unsuccessful. Carl Lewis? [89] This made Bentez only the second manager after Giovanni Trapattoni to have won the UEFA Cup/Europa League with two different teams, and Chelsea became the fourth club overall and first in Britain to have won all three major European trophies. I thought I would be staying for a lot longer.". And Babel has since described his relationship with his first Reds manager as weird, repeating pointing the finger of blame at Benitez for the fact he was unable to push on on Merseyside. At one point, rumours of Bentez quitting or being dismissed became so great that bookmakers had to suspend betting on the subject. YOU would have got good odds on someone called Fofana saving Graham Potter from more death threats. The thinking fan's Chelsea blog. "I have not said I am going to leave Liverpool. In this episode we look back on the extraordinary 4-2 win over Aston Villa on Saturday.

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