JUNE 25
"I’ll return one day
to Liverpool", says Rafa Benitez

By David Randles - Daily Post

Rafa Benitez has revealed “everything changed” at Liverpool FC last season and that he will return to the city one day.

The Spaniard left Anfield by mutual consent earlier this month after a disappointing campaign in which his team finished seventh in the Premier League and failed to qualify for the Champions League just a year after narrowly missing out on the league title.

Despite having four years remaining on his contract Benitez accepted a severance package when his position became untenable after the club’s board agreed to approach him with the offer to leave.

Now, reflecting on his six years on Merseyside, the new Inter Milan boss claims his final year at Anfield was made difficult due to changes of personnel at the club.

“This year everything changed from the beginning,” said Benitez. “The people in the club changed and then the approach was different.

“Clearly there was the question of controlling the money we could or couldn’t spend. From the beginning of the season everything was different to in the past.

“We were so close to winning the title the season before. Everybody was expecting us to do something more.

“But we had problems from the beginning with injuries and performances. That led to a bit of frustration and you could see the atmosphere at the club was different at the end of the season.

“Now, during the summer, you can see the fans are not very happy.

“I enjoyed the first five years especially but the last year was more difficult. But the memories after six years have been really good overall.”

Despite a strained relationship with the club’s owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, Benitez describes his sadness at his departure and paid tribute to the Liverpool supporters.

“I was really sad to leave Liverpool,” said the 50-year-old.

“It’s really sad but you have to move forward. I always say to my family that you cannot stay talking too much, or complain too much.

“The people of Liverpool are fighters and I came here fighting from the beginning until the end. I was really pleased at Liverpool where the fans were amazing.

“Now I have to think about the future. I must move forward and do the best for my new club.”

As Liverpool faltered last season, Benitez provided the guarantee of a top four finish. It was a promise he could not keep and the former Valencia boss admits to making mistakes during his time at the club.

“Every manager can make mistakes,” he says.

“We know we made some mistakes. But if you analyse them in the context of the decision, sometimes you have to do these things.

“For example, if you play two holding midfielders maybe it’s because you don’t have the offensive midfielders you need.

“Some journalists like to analyse but don’t always know exactly what’s going on. It’s difficult to have to explain every single day.

“But all managers make mistakes and will continue to do so in the future.”

Benitez always maintained his family were settled in England and has said he intends to keep their home on the Wirral.

“I can guarantee one thing,” he finished. “I will not sell my house. It is our home here.

“We will come back. I don’t know when, but we will come back for sure.”

JUNE 15
Rafa saddened by Anfield exit

TEAMtalk

New Inter Milan boss Rafael Benitez admits it was hard for him to leave Liverpool but insists he had to do it.

Benitez parted company with the Reds by mutual consent at the beginning of the month after six years at Anfield, with the Spaniard paying the price for a disappointing season.

The Champions League-winning coach claims it was a wrench to leave Liverpool but knows it was obvious his time on Merseyside had come to an end.

"It was difficult to leave Liverpool after six years working there, I had amazing times there," said Benitez as he was presented to the press today. "Also my daughter is seven, she lived most of her life there.

"It's not easy but things changed so I needed to move and I had the perfect opportunity to come to Inter.

"I hope it will be perfect for me and perfect for Inter.

"The club was fantastic, the fans amazing so it was a really sad day when i had to go but things changed so it was obvious I had to do it."

Benitez refused to comment on his relationship with Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, adding: "The owners are the owners. Now I'm in a different club and I'm very happy to be here.

"My relationship with Liverpool fans was great from the beginning and I hope it will be so here. I think the fans will be happy."

Speculation is rife that Benitez will raid Liverpool for his former players, with Steven Gerrard and Javier Mascherano reportedly top of the wish list.

The 50-year-old remained tight-lipped on possible transfer targets, but hinted he could attempt to bring his former captain to the San Siro after the World Cup.

"I have been in contact with the majority of players and the majority said thanks for everything and all the best," said Benitez.

"I talked to Gerrard when it was his birthday and he's fine. He wants to talk about the World Cup now, not anything else.

"I wished them all good luck for the World Cup. Now they're all focused on that."

Benitez earned a place in Anfield folklore by guiding Liverpool to 2005 Champions League glory in his first season.

He followed that with FA Cup success in 2006 and another Champions League final appearance 12 months later. After finishing runners-up in the Premier League in 2009, many expected a serious title tilt this year but it failed to materialise.

Early elimination from the Champions League was followed by a failure to finish in the top four and to re-qualify for Europe's elite event.

JUNE 10
Benitez pens two-year Inter contract

TEAMtalk

Former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has been confirmed as the new Inter Milan coach, signing a two-year deal with the Serie A giants.

Italian and European champions Inter moved swiftly to snap up Benitez, who left Liverpool last week, as they sought a replacement for Jose Mourinho who left for Real Madrid earlier this summer.

Benitez is to be introduced at a San Siro press conference next Tuesday.

MAY 19
Benitez: Spain job appeals for future

BreakingNews.ie

Rafael Benitez admits it is his dream to one day coach the Spanish national team but has reiterated his immediate future lies at Liverpool.

Benitez has been linked with a move away from Anfield this summer, with Inter Milan the latest club to be linked to the 50-year-old, although that rumour was dismissed by the Serie A champions this morning.

Juventus were also believed to be courting Benitez but the Turin giants are set to unveil Luigi Del Neri as their new coach this week, and the Spaniard insists he is some years away from leaving Merseyside.

“Right now I have four years left in my contract with Liverpool and I am very happy there,” Benitez said in quotes reported on www.as.com.

“But, of course, in a few years, once [Spain coach Vicente] Del Bosque ends his work, I would like to be Spain coach.

“All of the Spanish coaches would like in the future to become national team manager.”

Benitez believes Spain striker Fernando Torres, who is currently in a race against time to be fit for the World Cup after a knee operation, has no intention of leaving Liverpool amid rumours of interest from Barclays Premier League champions Chelsea.

“I am not aware that Torres wants to leave,” said Benitez.

“Now he is only focusing on recovering and going to the World Cup, only then will he think about his future.”

Benitez added that Torres’ importance to Liverpool goes far beyond his actions on the pitch, saying: “Torres has multiplied the Liverpool image in Asia because all the women there are crazy about him.”

The Liverpool boss also hit back at his critics following the Reds’ disappointing seventh-placed league finish and early exit from the Champions League last season.

Benitez claims he is a victim of his own success after guiding the club to glory in the Champions League, FA Cup, European Super Cup and Community Shield in his first two years in the role.

“My critics in London say that I am not a good manager but they forget many details,” he said.

“Liverpool has averaged 69 points in the last 12 seasons.

“We made a huge mistake, as we won four titles at the start. Then people ask you for more, when in reality in the Premier League it’s assumed that at the start a coach needs time to adapt.

“(Manchester United manager Alex) Ferguson took seven years to win the Premier League.”

JANUARY 30
Battle-weary Benitez could
decide to end Liverpool FC war

Comment by Dominic King - Liverpool Echo

Suddenly it seems different. Liverpool supporters have seen Rafa Benitez linked with jobs away from Anfield before but never thought he would leave – until now.

The prospect, you see, of Benitez walking away from the club he has managed since the summer of 2004 is more real than ever before, a point which was hammered home during his weekly press conference at Melwood yesterday afternoon.

In the past, notably when Real Madrid have come calling, Benitez has batted away questions from his interrogators without fuss, insisting he could never accept another offer while he is so happy in the area.

That point, it must be stressed, is still valid; Benitez loves Liverpool life, so does his wife, Montse, and their children Claudia and Agata; he also wants to deliver success to the fans who have, in the main, given him unconditional backing.

Yes, there have been problems behind the scenes, with the owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jnr and the former chief executive, Rick Parry, but never did you get the impression that another club would bat their eyelashes and he would go. Not even Madrid, the side he grew up supporting.

Certainly in recent years, had Juventus been mooted as a possible destination, Benitez would not even have entertained the thought.

Just think of Serie A; once the league that was the envy of Europe, with its superstar performers, outstanding teams and glut of money, it now languishes behind the Premier League and Spain’s La Liga in terms of quality and finance.

Sure, certain clubs, such as Juve, have great heritage but stadiums are rarely full, even for the biggest games, and Italy’s top flight now consists of giants such as Chievo, Livorno and Catania – where, you may wonder, is the draw?

Benitez, though, appears to have grown weary of the constant battle that is now life at Anfield and the events during the latest transfer window have left him wondering what the future holds.

It explains why, then, Benitez said yesterday that he was “proud” to be linked with Juventus; there was no attempt to disguise the fact the Grand Old Lady have made noises about him replacing Ciro Ferrara at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino.

Look at it another way – Liverpool have been trying to complete the signing, on a Bosman transfer, of Milan Jovanovic from Standard Liege and have offered him a three-year deal, which would start in June.

Yet they are short of a striker now, so wouldn’t you think a deal could be done to accelerate the prospect of Jovanovic joining the Reds? When the club needs to press on, suddenly they engage the slow button. It all sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

So – given how weary it is all becoming – it hardly surprising that Juventus, who are trying to recapture their halcyon days, have sounded him out; make no mistake about it, their interest is deadly serious.

“They know the market,” Benitez said. “They know the managers and they want to find someone that is good enough for them. Again I will say I am proud (to have been linked with them) but I am also proud to be here.”

But the question everyone on The Kop will be asking now is ‘here for how long?’

The interim appointment of Alberto Zaccheroni to replace Ferrara, who was jettisoned by Juve following their defeat in the Coppa Italia by Inter Milan on Thursday night, means the story will subside for a short while.

Should the remainder of the season not map out as Liverpool expect it to, however, then it will resurface in May; Juventus are not going to give up their pursuit of Benitez and can only have taken heart from his words.

“As a manager, when a top side in Europe is watching you, that is something you have to be proud of,” Benitez said. “But, again I will say, I want to fight here, I want to do my job and I want to win. I want to do things here.”

The will to win is the same but the circumstances, clearly, have altered. Should they alter even further, do not be surprised if this particular tale reaches the conclusion few could ever have envisaged.

JANUARY 30
Benitez wants cash for players
if he's to stay at Liverpool FC

By Ian Doyle - Daily Post

Rafa Benitez has warned Liverpool FC’s board they must find new investment if he is to resist overtures from Juventus this summer.

Speculation surrounding the Spaniard intensified yesterday when the Serie A side sacked Ciro Ferrara as coach and named Alberto Zaccheroni as his replacement for the remainder of the campaign.

It leaves the door open for Juventus to make a move for number one target Benitez at the end of the season, with the Liverpool manager yesterday stating he is “proud” at the rumoured interest.

That will act as further encouragement to the Italians after Benitez earlier this week expressed his ongoing frustration at the current financial climate at Liverpool.

And while revealing assurances have been given over fresh investors and the building of the much-delayed new stadium on Stanley Park, the Spaniard has cast renewed doubt over his Anfield future by insisting the time has now come for those words to be followed by actions.

“We are working very hard in the conditions that we have at this moment,” said Benitez. “I think we have a new investor or maybe more people coming this year, the possibility of a new stadium is a big boost for everyone here.

“We have to trust and have the belief that they will happen. In the meantime, we can talk about names in the market, players who are available for free and that means we can prove that we want to go forward and we can prove that we can manage sometimes without big money.”

When asked if there needed to be concrete evidence of this happening, Benitez said: “Yes, I think that is important for all the fans and for all the people here to see these things happen.

“Everyone wants to see the team and the club progress and I think we are going in the right direction but we have to move forward.

“Sometimes this means signing players who are good and are available in the market. Sometimes it is changing things and the key at the end we know is the stadium and new investors.”

Benitez admits he is flattered by the attention from Juventus.

“As a manager you have to be proud that a top side is monitoring you but now we have finished the speculation; that is positive so now we can focus on Bolton,” he said.

“The priority for me is to win games. If we continue to win games everyone will be watching us for the right reasons. It is a positive circle. We have to talk about Bolton.

“We are working hard trying to bring players in to improve the squad. I have four years of contract. I am very happy here. I would like to win a lot of games with this club. I will continue fighting every single week, trying to do the best for my club.”

JANUARY 29
Is Rafael Benitez a good
manager or a lucky one?

Comment by David Prentice - Liverpool Echo

Napoleon’s famous quote about preferring lucky generals to clever ones has been directed at Rafael Benitez before.

Some critics have used the ‘lucky boss’ argument to suggest that fortune has somehow favoured his haul of two La Liga titles, a UEFA Cup, an FA Cup and a Champions League.

They even claim that because his two Liverpool trophies came via the lottery of a penalty shoot-out, they are somehow devalued.

Nonsense, of course.

I prefer Thomas Jefferson’s philosophy: “A bit of luck and government are good, but you’d be a fool to trust in either of them.”

But there’s no doubt that this week Rafael Benitez has got lucky.

Just as Liverpool’s roller coaster season reached the dizzying height of a home win over Spurs, then took another sickening lurch downwards at Molineux, Italian newspaper La Stampa announced Juventus’ desire to lure the Spanish manager to Turin.

A little reminder of Rafa’s stock throughout Europe – Real Madrid have tried to lure him three times to the Bernabeu – doesn’t do his standing any harm amongst wavering Reds fans.

While American owners who know next to nothing about ‘soccer’ surely can’t fail to be impressed.

Don’t for a second think the link has somehow been stage-managed. La Stampa is owned by the Agnelli family, who also own Juve.

If Marca is the Spanish media mouthpiece for Real Madrid, La Stampa is the Italian equivalent.

So should Reds fans be concerned or offering to carry Senor Benitez’s bags to JLA?

There’s no doubt that something, somewhere has gone horribly wrong at Anfield this season – and it’s not just a question of swapping an injured Italian for a Spanish playmaker.

But it’s hardly irretrievable.

Liverpool are still well placed for a fourth place finish, still have the best striker in Europe to come back and still have England’s first choice right-back to return.

They also have a manager who wants to prolong his stay as Liverpool manager until this summer and far beyond.

Managerial stability is a crucial quality in a successful football club, and Liverpool are lucky that despite their boardroom upheaval, they have a manager who wants to sick around.

In football, you make your own luck – and Benitez has made plenty of his own.

Which is why clubs of Juventus’ stature want him.

Is Rafa Benitez a good manager or a lucky one?

I’d suggest he’s both – which makes Liverpool lucky to have him.

JANUARY 26
Benitez's link to Juventus denied

BBC Sport Online

Rafael Benitez's agent insists the Liverpool boss is staying at Anfield, despite speculation linking him with a move to Serie A side Juventus.

Current manager Ciro Ferrara is under pressure because of Juve's poor form.

However, Benitez's agent Manuel Garcia Quilon said: "I have had no contact with Juventus or with any other Italian club regarding an interest on Rafa."

Benitez signed a new deal in March 2009 that could keep him at the Merseyside club until 2014.

His agent added: "There have been rumours linking Rafa to Juve, just as there have been reports linking Guus Hiddink to Juve.

"They are all media speculation and there is no truth in it. Rafa has a four-year contract with Liverpool.

"He feels he has the strength to continue with the team and he is fully focused on guiding Liverpool up the standings."

Liverpool and Juventus were knocked out of the Champions League before the winter break and lie sixth in their respective leagues.

Benitez's side are 13 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester United, while last weekend's 2-1 defeat by Roma was Juve's fifth loss in six Serie A games and left them 16 points adrift of leaders Inter Milan.

Russia coach Hiddink was linked to Juve, who have been hit by injuries this season, before the loss to Roma and it led to Ferrara hitting out at the reports.

Meanwhile, Benitez, 49, came under fire after Liverpool were knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Reading earlier this month.

That defeat led former Reds captain Ronnie Whelan to say the Spaniard should be replaced.

But despite his side's poor form, Benitez received the backing of Liverpool's board.

Thor Zakariassen ©