Having just witnessed arguably the most stunning comeback in the competition's history, when Rafa Benitez's unfancied side had fought back from 3-0 down to a world-class AC Milan outfit to win on . After Liverpool again defeated Chelsea in the semi-final, this time on penalties, Gillett stated, "Rafa has been tremendous We knew of him but I don't think we realized how good he was, and not just as a coach. This was followed by a 40 home loss in the first Clsico of the season against Barcelona. Liverpool finished third in the league, missing out on second place by one point. What if Pepe gets injured next week? Writing in his autobiography, he described the Spaniard as the "most difficult" manager he played for, criticising him over his lack of man-management skills, claiming he only ever had one proper conversation with him. 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. 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. Get all the latest Liverpool breaking news, team news, transfer rumours, injury updates plus analysis of what's next for the Reds. [64], On 21 November 2012, following the dismissal of Roberto Di Matteo, Chelsea appointed Bentez as interim first-team manager until the end of the 201213 season. Evolution of the football manager | FM Base [88], In the Europa League final against Benfica on 15 May, Chelsea won 21. "It is not true that I had or have had disputes with Bentez, but I am annoyed that when I'm fit I only warm the bench, Baros said on the eve of Istanbul. 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. Benitez tried to break me like he broke Riera. If they go down Ill come back to Liverpool and stay until my contract ends or you can sell me then. Rafael Benitez | Liverpool FC Wiki | Fandom When Mourinho exited Chelsea in 2007, Bentez said, "You know my relationship with him, it is better that I do not say anything", declining to comment as Ferguson and Arsenal manager Arsne Wenger had. Yet he scored just one Premier League goal in the second half of the season and was sold to Aston Villa in. Despite this success, Bentez fell out with Jess Garca Pitarch, the club's director of football, over control of new signings and the club's failure to reinforce the squad with the players he wanted. Im not James Milner, who keeps it simple. Rafael Benitez: Everton set to appoint former Liverpool manager as In March 1994, he became assistant manager to Vicente del Bosque with the senior Real Madrid team before returning to coach Real Madrid B for the 199495 season. The players and the people at the top of the club knew how I felt. Key players missed much of the season through injury and Liverpool failed to challenge Chelsea and Arsenal for the league title, finishing fifth. 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. [98][99] They lost 42 on aggregate to Athletic Bilbao in the qualifying stages, thus entering the Europa League. And I would like to play there constantly.". "Stevie was unbelievable playing that 10. Frank Lampard has done something Rafa Benitez was expected to do at Only then will I be better than I am now. I want to know.. [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. After leaving Valencia, Benitez moved to English club Liverpool of the Premier League, guiding the club to victory in the UEFA Champions League in 2005. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. It was not easy, my job is not a normal job and it was not just any game, but I never regretted it. Rafa Benitez promised me a certain development, but very quickly he took away that promise and it was a totally different situation. They wanted to take me on loan for six months, for which Liverpool would get 800,000, then complete a permanent 3m transfer in the summer if they avoided relegation. "I was disappointed - this much is true," Baros said in an interview with a newspaper in Prague. I could not risk waiting to see if Benitez kept his job. 'He was around 10m': Rafa Benitez says he nearly signed Brazil legend for Liverpool Charles Jones 4 days ago Speaking on the Official Liverpool FC Podcast, Rafa Benitez has been. It was never really explained to me. Home. The young Dutchman enjoyed an impressive first season at Anfield under Benitez, but would later find himself often out of favour under the Spaniard as his starting opportunities in the following years. He then left Napoli and became coach of Real Madrid in June 2015 on an initial three-year contract. After that I did another interview and said that I have to be my first critic. Some things are more important than football and I had the full support of the club. Rafael Benitez: Sacked manager did not realise magnitude of - BBC 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. "I would like to be here for the rest of my career, but players live to play. When I scored, I still expected to be out of the team the next game. I had played for five years at Anfield and then never got a game when Benitez arrived, apart from three in the Carling Cup. "[118], On 2 July 2019, Bentez was appointed manager of Chinese Super League side Dalian Professional (formerly Dalian Yifang), signing a two-and-a-half-year deal. GALLERY: Rafa Benitez's Liverpool years in pictures View gallery In 2013 he headed to Mexico to take over at Estudiantes Tecos and then last August he landed the job at Maccabi Tel Aviv in. The injury saw him sidelined for a year and hampered his chances of becoming a major player. [47] It was suggested that this Liverpool team was missing Bentez's characteristic defensive rigidity[48] despite the fact that only Manchester United and Chelsea conceded fewer goals than Liverpool, and lacked the necessary depth to cope with injuries to key players such as Gerrard and Fernando Torres while Bentez's decision making was called into question. They thought I was playing well but Benitez told me he was surprised the fans booed because I was not good enough. [123], Under Benitez Everton enjoyed a winning streak across the Premier League and EFL Cup in their first four games. "Just sometimes, he might as well have turned a player into an Xbox, dressed me up like RoboCop and put a picture of my face on it. [94] Bentez agreed a two-year contract after meeting club president Aurelio De Laurentiis in London. The 37-year-old, who retired at the end of an unsuccessful Ashes tour of England in 2015, said he would consider returning in any capacity to help out Cricket Australia (CA)."I would do anything to 419HbFo help the Australian cricket team," he told Australia's Daily Telegraph newspaper on Sunday. [92] Benitez didn't take part in the lap of honour after the match, but many fans showed their appreciation for his efforts during the season, a notable contrast to the hostile reception he received before. "I'm not one of these players that likes to sit around on the bench and just pick my money up. Given his past, the manager was a controversial choice. Rafa Benitez at the Run for the 96 5K in Stanley Park, Liverpool (Image: Liverpool Echo) But being a born winner is just one part of Benitez's multi-layered appeal. [40], Prior to Bentez's final season at Liverpool, Xabi Alonso, one of the key members of Bentez's squad, was sold to Real Madrid following a lengthy pursuit in a deal reportedly worth 30million. On 3 June 2015, Bentez was confirmed as the new Real Madrid manager, signing a three-year contract. The title challenge, however, fizzled out early in the season, with Liverpool's poor form away from Anfield leading to speculation Bentez's tenure at Liverpool was short-lived, with his agent quoted as saying Bentez would consider offers to manage in Italy. Liverpool Fans Sing Former Manager Rafa Benitez's Name After He Is "When I went there (Liverpool) I was told myself and Torres (would start) and Stevie would drop into the midfield but obviously as it went on I think Rafa liked Stevie playing that no.10. I still dont know his real reasons. Benitez, 50, replaced Gerard Houllier as Liverpool manager in June 2004 and. He left the club, and coached Tenerife in 2000, winning promotion in his only season. Mike Leach 'had a heart attack and may have suffered brain damage' Bentez: "At Real Madrid, it was easier for them to blame me" Now in charge at Everton, Lucas Digne could be the latest player to not get a second chance with Benitez after the France international defender found himself dropped in recent weeks following a reported falling out between the pair. I meet him from time to time like at Pepe Reinas wedding, or some family parties.. 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,. By the way, we won 0-1 with a goal from Torres.. In the years since leaving Liverpool, Keane has never criticised Benitez for selling the striker but believes the Spaniard was simply the wrong manager for him at the wrong time in his career. infiniti qx80 indicator lights. Eight of the side's remaining 10 away matches are against teams below them in the table, which should offer some decent opportunities to counter-attack from midfield. Steven Gerrard: I was never close to Benitez and his 'facts' speech You didnt mean it., I cannot let you go on loan. It was a permanent deal or nothing as far as he was concerned. To be completely honest, I genuinely considered punching Rafa in the face. [60] Despite criticism, Bentez guided Inter to win the FIFA Club World Cup in December 2010. "I think he was the wrong manager at the wrong time for me. There was an issue over whether it was a loan move first or a permanent transfer straight away. Trump was so enraged at mockery by late night host Jimmy Kimmel he tried to get him censored, report says It was the same for me. [148][149], Rafael Bentez married Maria Montserrat[150][151][152] in 1998. You said youd do everything to get a deal through. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Milan Baros finished Benitez's first season at Liverpool as the club's top goalscorer. By Will Rooney 17th Jan 2022, 2:32pm Former Everton medical chief Dan Donachie has appeared to have taken a swipe at Rafa Benitez after he was axed as manager. After defeating Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus with the aid of some bold team selections by Bentez, Liverpool faced Chelsea in the semi-final. [65][66][67][68] He was unveiled as the new Chelsea manager at a press conference on 22 November 2012. Admittedly I never really asked the manager, but he never said anything either, never said I wasn't good enough. Rafa Benitez's team lost 1-0 on both occasions to a Spurs XI each time . I've certainly never said a bad word about him as a manager, I thought he was top, Keane told The Football Show on Sky Sports last year. Liverpool fans knew that 'Agent Rafa' would not be there more than a season, and so it has proven. But his constant instructions really restricted me. Imagine the pressure Id be under if that happened, Why should I care? [49] The club subsequently exited the UEFA Europa League at the hands of Atltico Madrid. Benitez came to Liverpool from the Spanish side Valencia on 16 June 2004 after the sacking of Gerard Houllier. Yes, I would have if I were not present at the delivery. The only problem was the media, he insisted. A scorer of big goals, he produced countless important moments in his three seasons with the club as the Reds challenged for the Premier League title and progressed in the Champions League. Former Liverpool star suffers heart-attack at 36 - 90min Youve got some instructions and tactics in your mind and yet hes shouting even more at you. Missing a match, however big, for the birth of your first child is perfectly understandable, with it appearing the only disagreement between the two came from Benitez declining Alonsos suggestion to later link up with the squad. Rafael Benitez might have been sacked by Premier League club Everton, but the red half of Merseyside still remembers him fondly. "He thinks he's in charge and everything else falls on deaf ears. He also worked as a commentator/analyst for Eurosport, Marca, El Mundo and local Madrid TV. There's some speculation about what might have been said at half-time to spark a much better second half - collectively, and from certain individuals. 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]. Ex Liverpool star suffers heart attack at age of just 36 Liverpool also won the FA Cup beating both Manchester United and Chelsea, as well as a thrilling 53 win against Luton Town in the third round, on the way to the final against West Ham United. But while the striker disputed such claims, he did twice voice his grievances with some of his managers decisions to the press over the course of the season, prior to being sold to the Villans in a 6.5m deal. 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. I hated him at the time, but Ive lost that now. But the media was not interested anymore. Liverpool paid 20m when signing Robbie Keane from Tottenham Hotspur in July 2009.