Former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez lasted just 6 months at Inter before making a 'mutually satisfactory agreement' with Inter to leave the club in December 2010. Almost two years later, the Spaniard is still without a job, and although he's stated repeatedly that he prefers a job in the Premier League, Reds Legend Mark Lawrenson believes that Benitez may never manager in the league again.
Several Premier League jobs - including Southampton and QPR - could become available over the next few months, and Benitez's name is sure to be mentioned as a possible candidate.
Discussing the possibility of a potential Rafa return on Today FM last night, Lawrenson argued that the Spaniard would probably turns his nose up at the two aforementioned clubs, and also argue that his time had probably passed. He said:
"In all honesty, I’m not sure Rafa will get another job in the Premier League.
"He thinks he’s bigger than the football club he’s going to take over.
"That’s what it was at Liverpool, and I think it would be the same at most other Premier League clubs"
Did Benitez think he was 'bigger than the club' when he was Liverpool manager? It certainly appeared that way, and as the years went by, the Reds' European cup-winning manager became bolder and more brazen in his public attacks on the board, incessant demands for more money, and needless displays of petulance.
Benitez has a history of arguing with senior authority figures dating all the way back to his time at Osasuna and Valladolid, which suggests he has a set of personal principles from which he is totally unwilling to deviate.
However, I don't think Benitez *personally* believed he was bigger than the club; in my view, hubris played a major part in the Spaniard's downfall, but the man was/is far too humble and in tune with the principles and philosophy of LFC to actually believe he's more important than the club itself.
As the Rolling Stones song goes: "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might get what you need".
Benitez wants to manage a top team 'capable of winning trophies', but what he needs is to just get back in the game asap before he enters the realms of irrelevance.
Jaimie Kanwar
Several Premier League jobs - including Southampton and QPR - could become available over the next few months, and Benitez's name is sure to be mentioned as a possible candidate.
Discussing the possibility of a potential Rafa return on Today FM last night, Lawrenson argued that the Spaniard would probably turns his nose up at the two aforementioned clubs, and also argue that his time had probably passed. He said:
"In all honesty, I’m not sure Rafa will get another job in the Premier League.
"He thinks he’s bigger than the football club he’s going to take over.
"That’s what it was at Liverpool, and I think it would be the same at most other Premier League clubs"
Did Benitez think he was 'bigger than the club' when he was Liverpool manager? It certainly appeared that way, and as the years went by, the Reds' European cup-winning manager became bolder and more brazen in his public attacks on the board, incessant demands for more money, and needless displays of petulance.
Benitez has a history of arguing with senior authority figures dating all the way back to his time at Osasuna and Valladolid, which suggests he has a set of personal principles from which he is totally unwilling to deviate.
However, I don't think Benitez *personally* believed he was bigger than the club; in my view, hubris played a major part in the Spaniard's downfall, but the man was/is far too humble and in tune with the principles and philosophy of LFC to actually believe he's more important than the club itself.
As the Rolling Stones song goes: "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might get what you need".
Benitez wants to manage a top team 'capable of winning trophies', but what he needs is to just get back in the game asap before he enters the realms of irrelevance.
Jaimie Kanwar
Jaimie, you know people get upset when you write about Rafa :)
ReplyDeleteWhy has Rafa been without a job for 2 years? Does nobody want him?
Maybe one of your best posts IMO. Love the subject and I really appreciate the way you worked the reasonings!
ReplyDeleteI personally have big respect for Rafa.
BTW, there is a chance I could meet Rafa this week! Wish me luck.
This idiot Lawrenson is now embarrassing - cash for anti LFC rubbish is now his living, does he think we dont notice his licking Fegusons boots (were he thinks his bread is now buttered) is not evident to all ? - sad to say as he was a legend on the pitch.
ReplyDeleteRafa has a record of a top ten in the world football Manager, why should he take a job outside the top 30 clubs ?.
ReplyDeleteI worry about anyone who takes anything mark lawrenson has to say seriously. Maybe people should educate themselves by reading his new book?
ReplyDeleteRafa is great manager and can afford to cherry pick the best jobs! In my opinion he's just waiting for the call from the reds again which will come sooner or later. Was sat the other day remembering watching us dismantle Real Madrid at anfield 4-0 thinking this guy was responsible for the greatest nights of my generation and guillem balague stating "you won't know what you've got till its gone". Well I didn't want the guy to leave he was a world class manager who brought in world class players and we at anfield watched world class performances beating Europe best (barca in there own back yard anyone?) genius the way he played arbeloa at left back so that messi kept coming inside onto arbeloas right foot blocking him off on every run! The man gave us our European status back while fighting agains those two American vampires! We are in your debt Rafa, humble good honest family man who became one of us. YNWA! By the way lawrenson is a plank!
ReplyDeleteJaimie,
ReplyDeleteI see you going back to the safehold of Rafa bashing, which although is comforting for you doesn't contribute to anything current about Liverpool FC.
I'm not going to get into the effects that Rafa's changes made in the Academy, as you'll find some way to contest it.
Suffice to say that the names Sterling and Suso.
I'd take you more seriously in your anti-Rafa crusade if you spent as much text attacking the frankly shocking transfers of Kenny Dalglish.
However you wont out of some nostalgic knod to what he did 20 years ago.
Added to the fact that you don't like being attacked by the Kenny Fan Club either.
Tell you what, if you do a analysis of all the Managers of LFC since Paisley there failures, including Dalglish.
Lawrenson is a big Man U supporter..........
ReplyDeleteEveryone know the true reason to why Rafa hasn't got another job at a top club in the PL. As a threat to Fergie and being a foreigner means that the media will hunt him down and spread lie after lie.
ReplyDeleteJust look what Mancini had to do. Mancini know that the media wouldn't hunt down Platt because he is english, they will hunt down Mancini because he is italian.
And you are entering the safehold of completely misinterpreting my post. This is not 'Rafa bashing' in the slightest. You conveniently seems to ignore the section of the article where I reject Lawro contention that Benitez thinks he's bigger than the club. I also state that he's humble and in tune with LFC's philosophy. How is that 'Rafa bashing'.
ReplyDeleteWhether you 'take me seriously' is irrelevant' I don't write stuff to get validation from people.
And I think you'll find that I spend lots of time criticising Dalglish's transfers.
Check this out- confirmed lfc line up, wow how fast well done kanwar, five mins. Later lfc site posts the official line up and u compare with this one what a disgrace kanwar messed up line up by his real source hahahahah this guy is hilarious
ReplyDeleteLove it!
ReplyDeleteIf Rafa was LFC manger the league position would be 1-3 place.
ReplyDeleteRafa argued with a board that was raping the club, it took a court case to rid the club of them, some people have very short memories.
ReplyDeleteBenitez was the same at Valencia so that shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone.He brought success to both Valencia and Liverpool and he feels that once he proves what he can do, he should no longer be questioned. Benitez position at the club had become impossible and he would have walked had the current owners been in charge back then as well. Having said that, people should not forget that he was the one who brought Sterling, Suso and Wisdom to the club and he brought us within an inch of the title. Does that justify him publicly attacking the board and airing our dirty linnen in public? I don't think so and that on top of some costly mistakes he made means he had to go. However, he still has a lot to offer because he can take a club to its next level if maybe not all the way. Personally I don't think Benitez would be interested in clubs like Southampton or QPR and I think he'll pop up somewhere in Russia or Turkey next to vindicate himself. This nonsense by Lawreson is just another example of this guy not having a clue what he's talking about. He's never managed a team in his life yet he always acts like he knows what it takes to do so. Lawreson criticising managers is like Jamie Oliver criticising a three star chef.
ReplyDeleteI hope he works on his man-management skills though, for all his tactical nous he could never show a soft touch the way Harry Redknapp can! I believe he could have dealt with Babel, Cisse & to some extent Pennant a lot more humanely apart from that he was a master tactician who got under Fergie's skin!
ReplyDeleteHave rafa back tomorrow even now, once feared in world football
ReplyDeleteI never thought you would write a "Rafa" based article that I would fully agree with. I love Rafa to bits, but I will always wonder, if he had been a tiny bit more patient and humble with the previous owners and Purslow, he could have possibly been the one spending 100 mill last year, and with the team we already had at the time, who knows what position we could be in now?
ReplyDeleteBenitez is a good manager. There is no denying that for a few good years Liverpool was feared around Europe and the top players would have loved to join the the club. He made a few excellent signings but also wasted a lot of money on mediocre players.
ReplyDeleteWhat I think lets his down is his man management skills. Some players like that kind of professional only treatment but I am sure most players want to actually have some sort of friendship with the manager.
If he came back to Liverpool I have no doubts that in a few years we would have a good squad and maybe he has learned from his mistakes.
Benitez is a humble person, the media just portray him as otherwise. Benitez is one of those managers that lived and breathed Liverpool, so I don't think he thought he was bigger than the club but I do think he has a personal mission to make the club great again.
However, going to Inter was a terrible choice and his constant problems with the hierarchy makes him a nightmare on hands on owners.
Rafa is the best who had LFC feared by all in Europe....
ReplyDeletei am gonna answear your question.he wants liverpool job and he is liverpool 100%.
ReplyDelete