They stopped me from being free. Youre a big name, you can play anywhere at all. This is what hurts me. I still dont know his real reasons. Rafa Benitez fell out with a number of players during his time with Liverpool, leading to many leaving the club, Follow the latest transfer news and more with our LFC newsletter. [58], By December 2010, Inter had slumped to sixth in Serie A, 13 points adrift of the top (although Inter played two games less), having suffered consecutive defeats against arch rivals Milan (which ended a 46 match unbeaten home record),[59] Chievo and Lazio, as well as losing at Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League, leading to speculation that Bentez's position was under threat. Im not a defensive midfielder. [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. Ill get 800,000, great, but I cant spend it today and Ill be five months without an experienced reserve goalkeeper. [49] The club subsequently exited the UEFA Europa League at the hands of Atltico Madrid. When that starts happening, you have to assume it is something personal, rather than professional. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. [112] On 25 May 2016, it was confirmed that Bentez would remain as manager. Real later played Cdiz in the Copa del Rey round of 32, winning away 31 in the first leg. Rafael Benitez might have been sacked by Premier League club Everton, but the red half of Merseyside still remembers him fondly. Rafael Bentez Maudes (born 16 April 1960) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who most recently managed Premier League club Everton.. Bentez joined Real Madrid's coaching staff at the age of 26, going on to work as the under-19 and reserve team coach, and assistant manager for the senior team. About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. Liverpool finished third in the league, missing out on second place by one point. Ill have Scott and a kid from the Academy. 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. Among those Bentez sold was Craig Bellamy, who was notably phased out of the first team following an altercation with John Arne Riise in the buildup to Liverpool's remarkable victory over Barcelona in the Camp Nou en route to the Champions League final. The club began their campaign with an unimpressive 21 aggregate win over Grazer AK in the qualifying rounds and were minutes away from going out of the competition in the group stages. "I believe in these situations it is better to talk about it and try to fix it, or at least make sure everyone knows where they stand. The. From the latest transfers and match reports to training ground gossip and the running of the game, bridgeviews.co.uk offers a different perspective. The Reds moved to six points adrift of fourth place after a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United. [23], Bentez's signings helped the club's Premiership form improve considerably. After he ignored me for a long time, he needed me for Europe when Ryan Babel was suspended. [102][103] Real Madrid remained unbeaten in the league until a 32 loss at Sevilla in the 11th matchday. When I scored, I still expected to be out of the team the next game. The manager ignored me when I wanted to know why. Im a flair player and do my own thing. The appointment is a controversial one, as Benitez spent six years at Anfield, winning the Champions League, FA Cup and UEFA Super Cup during his spell. It's a dream for me such a fantastic club have given me this opportunity. Rafael Benitez is set to be appointed as Everton's new manager next week after the former Liverpool boss agreed key aspects of his contract with the club. [115][116] Mike Ashley criticised Bentez following his departure, stating that Bentez's demands made it impossible for him to remain as manager. Despite this, poor results in the Champions League and a disagreement over future transfers lead to a public falling-out with the club's owners, which played out in the media at the end of November. 134 appearances and 29 goals would seemingly demonstrate that. The centre-back had been first-choice under Houllier, forming a brilliant partnership alongside Sami Hyypia, and its no coincidence that Liverpools form under the Frenchman faltered when the Switzerland international endured prolonged periods on the sidelines through injury. The former Liverpool manager remains a top defensive mind but will have his work cut out for him when he brings his Newcastle side to Anfield. Everton won four of their first six league games under Benitez, taking 13 points from a possible 18, but their form has collapsed since October. Therefore, I'm happy to give you some advice for emulating his Liverpool 4-2-3-1 tactic. Well help you find another club if you like., Can I play the last matches? was all I could say. Maybe I will never swallow it. I dont think people in England ever saw the best of me. . Babel would remain a Liverpool player for another half a season after Benitezs exit, playing under his immediate successor Roy Hodgson before being sold by Kenny Dalglish to Hoffenheim in an 8m deal in January 2011. Benitez picked up 13 points from his nine Premier League matches in charge on Everton's own turf - the same amount of points as Lampard has picked up. Ex-Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez linked with managerial return after Everton sacking. With all info about the gameweek - lineups, bonus, and . I spent six months with Liverpool hardly getting a game. That's when Chelsea made an offer and the deal was done before Benitez left. Down to 9 men we go on the attack and with a Jean Makoun . John Barnes is more worried about Manchester United coming to Liverpool on Sunday than he has been in recent times. You can't treat a player like this and expect him to be happy. He (Benitez) said it would be a good move for me, adding: Well definitely help you, well do whatever it takes to make a deal, Dudek recalled. I really need to play games to be prepared for the World Cup.. It was a privilege for me to play for such a great club in front of great fans. [6], In 1986, at the age of 26, Bentez returned to Real Madrid to join the club's coaching staff. Bentez is fluent in Spanish, English, French and Italian. Benitez just shook his head Id got the sack, plain and simple. Thank you for your three years of service, now you can call your agent to do a deal with another club.' I was in touch with Meier regularly and he told me Benitez wouldnt speak to him, but was saying Klns offer was unacceptable. In 2002, these tactics saw Bentez lead Valencia to their first La Liga title in 31 years, winning it by a seven-point margin over second-placed Deportivo La Corua. I have no problem talking to people. [19], In a classic final, dubbed the Miracle of Istanbul, Liverpool came from 30 down at half time to level the score at 33 in the space of just six minutes, eventually triumphing 32 on penalties with the assistance of goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek. Jurgen Klopp's respect for Rafa Benitez spotted during Liverpool's thrashing of Everton LIVERPOOL beat city rivals Everton 4-1 at Goodison Park on Wednesday night. But to this day I still think I should have stayed. And after falling down the pecking order at Anfield, the Poland international was involved in a couple of controversial incidents before departing on a free transfer to Real Madrid in 2007. It was, in my opinion, a weird relationship (with Benitez) because when he signed me I looked at him as the big uncle who wanted to give me a chance and help me succeed," he told the Guardian. I hadnt got on. On two occasions early last season, against Fulham and Lyon, the fans booed when I was subbed. The club had previously approached Javier Irureta, Man and Luis Aragons and had been turned down by all three. [21] In doing so, Bentez became only the third manager in history (after Bob Paisley and Jos Mourinho) to win the UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League in successive seasons, and the second Liverpool manager (after Joe Fagan) ever to win the UEFA Champions League/European Cup in his first season in charge. ", "Why Liverpool's Rafa Benitez is a master tactician", "Jamie Carragher: What really happened at half-time in Istanbul", "Rafa Benitez is the man behind Steven Gerrard's 100", "The cult of permanent rotation blights Bentez's bid for title", "Liverpool's demise against Chelsea the fault of Rafael Benitez's zonal marking", "RT Sport: Benitez stands by zonal marking", "Atltico fans ensure home is where the hatred is for Bentez", "Benitez to stay with Liverpool despite loss of father", "Montserrat Seara: "En nuestra primera cita Rafa me explic el 4-4-2", "Juventus seeking to prise Rafael Bentez away from Liverpool", "Rafa Benitez learned English listening to The Beatles and reveals man who inspired him to be manager", "Rafael Benitez replaces Roberto Di Matteo as Chelsea manager", "AD Parla: el tesoro que esconde Los Prados, el estadio en el que Rafa Bentez deslumbr como futbolista", "Rafael Benitez named Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Month", Complete management career stats at Liverpool-kop.com, Rafael Bentez management career statistics, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rafael_Bentez&oldid=1140350114, *Club domestic league appearances and goals, This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 18:18. But once Benitez had decided to sacrifice Alonso to bring in Barry, the writing was on the wall. Yet he scored just one Premier League goal in the second half of the season and was sold to Aston Villa in. "I would like to be here for the rest of my career, but players live to play. Keep up to date with the latest breaking news, transfer gossip and everything LFC with thousands of Reds! In the blue corner, Kylian Mbappe stands tall as the undisputed champion of the world. It was either his way or no way. But the players he brought in werent bad, were they? Later in the summer transfer window, Bentez signed several players from La Liga, most notably Luis Garca and Xabi Alonso, both of whom drew immediate admiration from Liverpool supporters. Despite this win, Chelsea failed to progress beyond the group stage of the competition. 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. [28] It was reported Bentez did not feel he had the complete support of the new owners, a thought that was compounded by Liverpool's initial lack of activity in the transfer window, although the club played these rumours down. He didnt know I spent my whole childhood dreaming of playing for Liverpool, he didnt know I had all those memories and feelings. Liverpool transfer news, rumours, gossip and speculation including updates on Roberto Firmino, Manuel Locatelli, Naby Keita and Mason Mount. Bentez made a number of suggestions during Mourinho's tenure as manager that Roman Abramovich's money had bought Chelsea's success, and the pair refused to shake hands after some matches (although Mourinho declared the feud to be over after a league game in 2006). [ VIDEO: PST unfiltered - EURO 2020 impressions; Sancho to Man United? ] The 61-year-old collapsed at his Starkville home but did not receive medical attention for between ten to 15 minutes. "I think I was right as well because I saw Pellegrino play for Liverpool and I thought, 'yes, I could have done the job he did for them, at the very least'. So (journalists) put some words in my mouth saying that the person who was responsible for me not being included in the Spain squad was Rafa. In truth, he didnt have time to as Benitez made it clear early on that he had no future at the club. Join our group for FREE by clicking here! Mr Benitez relinquishes his position as team manager after six years and the Board of Directors would. Allardyce suggested that Bentez had signalled the game was over despite Liverpool only having a two-goal lead. [11] These differences of opinion saw Bentez resign as Valencia coach on 1 June 2004. We played attacking football. See you on Wednesday.. [36] Striker Keane was later re-sold back to Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window, with some analysts claiming he was a "pawn in a power struggle" between Bentez and the club's owners. He said, "I was hoping for a sofa [a defender] and they've brought me a lamp [Fabin Canobbio]," in reference to the positions he wanted to be strengthened. [16], During his first season, Bentez was unable to improve Liverpool's form in the Premiership. Three months later he would do the exact same against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-finals, gifting the Londoners what would prove to be a decisive 90th minute away goal. An infamous attack on Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson in the media led some pundits and opposition supporters to suggest Bentez was "cracking up" under the pressure of a title bid. [10], However, the following 200203 season was a disappointing one; the club failed to follow up on their title success, finishing 18 points behind champions Real Madrid, and missed out on the top four by a single point. [20] Bentez's calm, methodical approach at half time was said to give the players the belief they could pull off an improbable comeback and win Liverpool an historic fifth European Cup. I had played for five years at Anfield and then never got a game when Benitez arrived, apart from three in the Carling Cup. Another altercation between Bellamy and Benitez would take place in the Spaniards office after the Welshman was fined for taking a penalty against Birmingham City when Robbie Fowler had been the designated taker. This instruction was ignored, which resulted in a goal.