He moved away from Real Madrid in 1995, but management spells at Real . "As a player, you just want a bit of fun, to make training good and lively. 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. With this team, he won two league titles in 1987 and 1989. 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. Rafa Benitez was sacked as Everton manager on Sunday after a 2-1 loss at Norwich City. Istanbul's districts extend far from the city center along the full length of the Bosphorus (with the Black Sea at top and the Sea of Marmara at bottom). Rafa Benitez. I was really upset. He was unable to avoid relegation, but earned promotion back to the Premier League the following year, winning the Championship. I hadnt got on. He also played a further three games for the Spain Universities XI. Not quite fitting into the Reds favoured system, failing to forge a successful partnership with Fernando Torres and not being suited to lead the line when the Spaniard was injured all contributed to his premature departure. I really need to play games to be prepared for the World Cup.. 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. He moved away from Real Madrid in 1995, but management spells at Real Valladolid and Osasuna were short-lived and unsuccessful. Rafa just didnt understand. The French hit-man was booked for pulling his shirt over . However, the current Blues boss has taken . The negotiations started. We have since done another (better) post on Rafa Benitez's Liverpool. I certainly had no complaints about that. Xabi Alonso, Luis Garcia they won the Champions League that following season and he was justified.. In 1981, Bentez joined Tercera Divisin side Parla. Craig Bellamy joined Liverpool from Blackburn Rovers in a 6m deal in June 2006. I just sat there, half in shock. Real Madrid B were then playing in the Segunda Divisin and on 4 September 1993, he made his debut as a Segunda Divisin manager with a 31 over Hrcules. On 3 June 2015, Bentez was confirmed as the new Real Madrid manager, signing a three-year contract. That exchange took place just days into his Liverpool career and involved Benitez asking him to write down his misdemeanours and faults. However, an 87th-minute goal by Steven Gerrard defeated Olympiacos 31 and saw the club progress to the last 16 on head-to-head difference. The Spaniard is expected to sign his. Further injury problems saw him miss almost the entire 198586 season and he subsequently retired as a player. 8m ESPN. We were sitting in his office, just about to sign, and he showed me a picture of me shouting at a player! [134] Bentez's ruthlessness can also be seen in the way he disposed of all but Gerrard and Jamie Carragher from his Champions League winning squad within four seasons, with penalty shoot-out hero Jerzy Dudek made back-up goalkeeper the very season after the European triumph. 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. After defeating Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus with the aid of some bold team selections by Bentez, Liverpool faced Chelsea in the semi-final. I was so angry that the lads said later the aggression was pouring out of me. At one point, rumours of Bentez quitting or being dismissed became so great that bookmakers had to suspend betting on the subject. [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. increasingly disappointed. Benitez defence a stern test for Liverpool's attack. 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. Pennant simply wrote "GIRLS" in capital letters - and it was downhill for him from there. [93], On 27 May 2013, it was announced that Bentez had signed for Napoli, whose manager Walter Mazzarri had resigned. [139] Bentez often plays key players in unorthodox positions to suit a formation notably converting both Steven Gerrard (in the 200506 season) and Dirk Kuyt into right-wingers. - Heart stops when I see the draw for the semi finals of the league and we drew Cardiff. [114], On 24 June 2019, Newcastle announced that Bentez would step down as Manager upon the expiration of his contract, and he departed the club on 30 June 2019. [12], On 16 June 2004, Bentez was appointed manager of Liverpool, replacing Grard Houllier, becoming the first Spaniard to manage in the Premier League. 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. It was either his way or no way. Bentez played as a midfielder for both Real Madrid Aficionados in the Tercera Divisin and Castilla CF in the Segunda Divisin. "Everyone asks me why I left Liverpool," he told the News of the World.. "There is only one reason - Rafa Benitez. Well help you find another club if you like., Can I play the last matches? was all I could say. Former Liverpool player and Chile international Mark Gonzalez has suffered from a heart attack and is currently in hospital recovering, as confirmed by his wife. Not only was he a brilliant coach but he is a very sharp, savvy businessman. However, the second leg was cancelled and Madrid were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player. I understand what he was doing. Despite this win, Chelsea failed to progress beyond the group stage of the competition. I don't want to speak on behalf of other players at Liverpool, but people know what happened to Albert Riera and Xabi Alonso. Then the consequences of doing so flashed through my mind. [124] This win was followed up with a 22 draw at Leeds United, a 21 win at Huddersfield in the EFL Cup and a 20 win against Brighton in the Premier League. Bentez was appointed coach of Valencia and won La Liga in the 200102 season. The 36-year-old was signed by Rafa Benitez in the summer of 2005 from. Rafa Benitez has praised Liverpool teenager Stefan Bajcetic ahead of tonight's Champions League first leg clash with Real Madrid. This was followed by a 40 home loss in the first Clsico of the season against Barcelona. Former Liverpool star Mark Gonzalez is recovering in hospital after suffering a heart attack, his wife has confirmed. We discuss a first half that was below par, and the goals we conceded, as well as Bukayo Saka's brilliant equaliser. It means that, suddenly, you mess up with a simple pass because your mind is all over the place. The only problem was the media, he insisted. He said he understood and liked my desire to be playing so negotiations with Kln continued. 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. After that I did another interview and said that I have to be my first critic. Ryan Babel was just 20 when he joined Liverpool from Ajax in an 11.5m deal in the summer of 2007. After his success with the U19s, Bentez then succeeded Garca Remn at the start of the 199394 season. 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. But the players he brought in werent bad, were they? Goals from Casemiro and a deflection from Marcus Rashford put the Red Devils 2-0 up at half-time . The man management was down to his staff. You'll also get the latest transfer talk and analysis every day for FREE! But perhaps because Benitez believes in an element of. [32] Bentez, however, said that his future was at Liverpool and signalled his long-term intentions by appointing Sammy Lee as his new assistant[33] to replace his long-time right-hand man, Pako Ayestarn, who quit after a reported disagreement, which Bentez admitted "hurt" him and arguably Liverpool's titles hopes. On each occasion I had accepted the challenge and emerged victorious from it. 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). [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. I had great contracts on the table, and choices of managers who really wanted me and that made me feel good. The no-nonsense former Liverpool boss might have been criticised by former players for not being the warmest of man-managers, but in the past he has tended to get results. If they go down Ill come back to Liverpool and stay until my contract ends or you can sell me then. But the media was not interested anymore. [49] The club subsequently exited the UEFA Europa League at the hands of Atltico Madrid. 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. Rafa Benitez believes Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium could be key to who wins their Champions League clash with Liverpool. "With Rafa, it is all about himself. "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. "I scored 19 goals and I never played! Let us know in the comments section below Albert Rieras falling out with Benitez is pretty cut and dry. Benitez tried to break me like he broke Riera. But dont tell me you need pace. Some things are more important than football and I had the full support of the club. "Once you reached that euphoria that satisfaction and happiness, you enjoy the moment and see everything around you, all the red with so many people with so much passion. [citation needed], Bentez has also had confrontations with Sam Allardyce when he was manager of Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers. [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. It was up and down but at the same time I had a great experience there. Former Liverpool and Inter Milan boss Rafael Benitez believes the Nerazzurri should be worried about the Reds' attack ahead of their Champions League clash on Wednesday. [82] They subsequently lost 10 at home to 20th-placed Queens Park Rangers[83] in the Premier League and were knocked out of the League Cup semi-finals by underdogs Swansea City 20 on aggregate. I could not risk waiting to see if Benitez kept his job. [56] Bentez's first Serie A game in charge was on 31 August 2010 in a 00 draw away to Bologna in the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara. [6], In 1986, at the age of 26, Bentez returned to Real Madrid to join the club's coaching staff. The manager had the option to choose between Dutch. "There were times when I would get so angry about how boring and repetitive training was that I would just lose it and shout, For f**ks sake just give us a bit of a five-a-side!. Benitez spent six years as Liverpool manager, winning the Champions League in 2005 and reaching the final of the competition in 2007. . [113], In May 2017, Newcastle won the 201617 EFL Championship and made an immediate return to the Premier League after one season in the Championship. I havent played all season. The coach and myself were not compatible. I still dont know his real reasons. While Premier League Team A vs Premier League Team B is meant to be the main attraction of the Sky Sports show . Scott played in the cups. "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'. But this season I have not played at all. This is the place to moan and discuss about every single thing that happened in games and with your team. [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. It was the club's 10th Premier League defeat of the season - and their ninth in their last 12 league matches - to leave . The club had previously approached Javier Irureta, Man and Luis Aragons and had been turned down by all three. I told Benitez I would go if he wanted, but he told me I was important and he would give me a new contract, which I signed. It was suggested that Bentez's position was now under serious threat. Rafael Benitez's last interview as Everton boss. Gary Neville vs Jamie Carragher is often the best part of Monday Night Football.. The 61-year-old collapsed at his Starkville home but did not receive medical attention for between ten to 15 minutes. 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. "Rafa is a top manager and he's proven that. "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 felt so unhappy but, out of respect to the club, I never spoke out. Bentez also gave new life to existing Liverpool players, transforming Jamie Carragher from a utility player to one of Europe's top centre backs alongside Sami Hyypi. "We were going into labour, and I told Rafa that I could not go. Rafa Benitez's team lost 1-0 on both occasions to a Spurs XI each time . He also worked as a commentator/analyst for Eurosport, Marca, El Mundo and local Madrid TV. Benitez came to Liverpool from the Spanish side Valencia on 16 June 2004 after the sacking of Gerard Houllier. The striker would join West Ham United in a 7.5m deal, as Benitez went on to replace him with Fernando Torres, before later returning to Liverpool in August 2011 and enjoying a more successful stint with his boyhood club under Kenny Dalglish. You listen to his former team-mates and all say the Spaniards relationship with his compatriot completely broke down during his final season at Liverpool, before putting in a transfer request and leaving for Real Madrid in a 30m deal in the summer of 2009. An official statement from the club said, "Rafa will forever be part of Liverpool folklore after bringing home the Champions League following the epic final in Istanbul but after a. "[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. [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. Project Runway Season 9 Finalist, Fashion Designer: famous for my pants! "On the day before the final game of last season at Hull, Benitez pulled me to one side after training and said: 'You will not be in the squad for this game. Whether it was wrong or right to let him go or whether his time in charge of Liverpool could be considered a success or not . 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. 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. Besides, people are treating me as if I don't exist any more. [18], In the Champions League, however, Liverpool fared differently. Maybe I will never swallow it. He told me I was a better player as a substitute instead of starting in the team. I had played for five years at Anfield and then never got a game when Benitez arrived, apart from three in the Carling Cup. 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I am very, very proud to be joining one of the most important clubs in the world in one of the best leagues in the world - and I want to win. Sign up here - it only takes a few seconds! He did, however, meet the fitness instructor Pako Ayestarn at the club, and went on to form a partnership with him at several clubs for the next decade. [9], Valencia fans also were soon won over by Bentez after he introduced a more attacking style of play than his predecessor, Cper. I dont think people in England ever saw the best of me. 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. https://bit.ly/3Im9yA30:09 - Intro 0:16 - 4-2-3-1, how it transitions and roles out of possession 5:03 - In possession: Number. An FA Cup winner the following year, Cisse did feature fairly regularly in 2005/06 but often found himself utilised out of position or as a substitute. Bentez, however, later explained this gesture: he said he had previously told Xabi Alonso to take a short free-kick. The next couple of days were a couple of the hardest days of my life. 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. He won his first league game in charge, beating Southampton 31. Re: Half time: Liverpool 0-0 Wolves. He was dismissed in January 2022 after a run where Everton lost 9 out of 13 games. It was a normal Craig Bellamy picture in a newspaper! [98][99] They lost 42 on aggregate to Athletic Bilbao in the qualifying stages, thus entering the Europa League. Real later played Cdiz in the Copa del Rey round of 32, winning away 31 in the first leg. He could never let me do my thing. The players and the people at the top of the club knew how I felt. A "sell to buy" policy enforced by the ownership due to increasing debt, combined with Alonso's departure, prompted discontent amongst considerable sections of the club's fanbase who believed Bentez was not being backed sufficiently in the transfer market. "I would like to be here for the rest of my career, but players live to play. Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo scored the goals in the first half to hand Liverpool a much-needed victory. [107][108] He suffered defeat in his first match in charge, losing 10 away to eventual champions Leicester City on 14 March. becky ending explained. This is nonsense and it is a fabrication that I wanted to leave the stadium. He also brought in both Mista from his former club and Francisco Rufete from Mlaga, with Mista going on to become top goalscorer for Valencia with 19 goals in the 200304 season. 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. Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has issued an apology of behalf of Djibril Cisse following his controversial behaviour at Newcastle on Sunday. When I scored, I still expected to be out of the team the next game. Former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has named the two players that influenced Steven Gerrard the most in his time at the club. On the winning goal scored by Branislav Ivanovi, Juan Mata said, "Rafa told us we had to aim to the far post, because it was Artur's weakest place. 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. Bentez also quickly sold Josemi and Antonio Nez, two of his first signings in English football, after they failed to establish themselves, with the likes of Peter Crouch, Mohamed Sissoko, Daniel Agger as well as former Liverpool player Robbie Fowler being brought in to strengthen the side. "But if I am not playing I have no chance of going to the World Cup, so I am trying to solve the problem so I at least have a small chance.''. However, like in Murphys case with Alonso and Garcia, Benitez could again claim to have made the right call as his decision to sideline Henchoz ultimately came hand-in-hand with the inspired switch to move Jamie Carragher back to centre-back, with the Liverpool legends own partnership with Hyypia usurping Houlliers previous duo. [79], At the FIFA Club World Cup in December 2012, Chelsea defeated Monterrey 31 to reach the final,[80] where they were beaten 10 by Brazilian side Corinthians. "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. I remember the conversation and he was all right, to be fair. "I'll only leave if I go as a free agent. By the way, we won 0-1 with a goal from Torres.. This time, Pepe Reina saved three penalties during the shoot-out to secure the silverware. But once Benitez had decided to sacrifice Alonso to bring in Barry, the writing was on the wall. Steven Gerrard has lifted the lid on his "frosty" relationship with former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez. [34], In a sign of the increasingly strained relationship between the Liverpool manager and his board, Bentez was reportedly close to quitting Liverpool in the summer of 2008 over the board's failure to back him in his bid to purchase Gareth Barry from Aston Villa. It was never really explained to me. Down to 9 men we go on the attack and with a Jean Makoun . I didnt know what to do, I didnt want to leave!