14 Nov 2012

'I didn't get on with him!' - Angry defender slates 'know-it-all' Rafa Benitez...

Inter Milan defender Marco Materazzi has stuck the knife into ex-Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez, claiming the former Inter Boss paled in comparison to Jose Mourinho.

Benitez lasted just 6 months at Inter before making a 'mutually satisfactory agreement' with Inter to leave the club in December 2010.

Rumours of dressing room unrest preceded Benitez's departure, and in in an interview for Italian TV show Undici yesterday, Materazzi dismissed Benitez's impact at the San Siro, and insisted that Mourinho was 'number one. He added:

"When Mourinho told me that he was leaving, I said to him: 'Damn you for leaving me with Benitez.'"

"I did not get on well with Benitez. He made me remove pictures of the most important moments of my career with Mourinho and [Marcello] Lippi from my locker.

"He thought he knew everything, but he was afraid of his own shadow."


Clearly, Materazzi prejudged Benitez before he even arrived, and based on his 'damn you for leaving me with Benitez' comment, it seems that the Italian had a pre-existing negative view of the Spaniard, which probably contributed to the animosity between them.

Materazzi's claim that Benitez was 'afraid of his own shadow' doesn't really ring true either. He may have been many things, but Benitez was most definitely not timid, tentative and/or reluctant to speak his mind (!)

I still can't understand why Benitez took the Inter Job in the first place. Mourinho won three league titles in a row and the Champions League, and there was no way that success could be replicated. The job was a poisoned chalice, but kudos to Benitez for having the cojones to give it a shot.

It's not 2 years since Benitez's last job; I wasn't the greatest fan of the man but he is undoubtedly a good manager, and it's a tragedy to see his talent being wasted.

Jaimie Kanwar


57 comments:

  1. Blimey. I've seen it all now !

    Actually, I reckon this is about as balanced a piece as I've ever read from you re Benitez, kudos for that.

    Mazzeratti aside, man management was Benitez' achilles' heel. If he could have just added a bit of humanity to his considered, clever, but robotic approach, he could have been a great...

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  2. The best manager we've had in a generation.

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  3. Materazzi is an embarrassment to himself and Italy's proud football history. He's an absolute joke of a human being and a headcase to boot. He was a sensationalist gob$hite on the pitch, and it appears that he's a sensationalist gob$hite off the pitch too.

    Are we going to waste any more time on this?

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  4. I hope Man U secure him on a 10 year contract at least when old Bacon Face steps down

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  5. I think the fact that Benitez did not get on with Materazzi is a credit to Benitez. Is there a bigger piece of trash playing the game than him?

    I hope Benitez is just waiting around for a season to see if Rodgers will get sacked, at which point the pressure from fans for his return will be too overwhelming. I sincerely hope Rodgers does not get the sack, if he does though, surely Benitez can not be ignored again. Should never have been sacked in the first place.

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  6. Big up to Jamie for seeing it how it was

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  7. ask any Evertonian about the year he spent there, as big a low life and a non tryer you can get, was he not sent off in the last game of the season when they had to draw or go down, think was against Coventry.

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  8. Rafa Benitez, under a more stable ownership would still be at Liverpool today and be regarded as one of the finest managers in our history.
    He stood up for Liverpool FC and he stood up for Liverpool the City.
    How I long for the "glory" days not so long ago when Rafa Rafael, Rafa Rafael rang out around the grounds of the UK and Europe.

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  9. What is this all about? You have your wish Jaimie, Benitez is no more; so what's the relevance of digging this up?

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  10. True. Let's hope our current manager evolves into an equally good or even better manager.

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  11. Materazzi or Benítez?

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  12. Bigger piece of trash. Try Chad Evans for starters. And wasn't a youngster at one of the many London clubs imprisoned for playing a part in a gang murder last year or so. There are quite a few low lifes in football.

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  13. some liverpool fans have short memrys wen it comes to rafa he brought us back to places we hadnt been for many a year and took us vry close to that title jose wouldnt hav got half as far with rafas teams,,bring him back stevie cant hav his head getin stuk in the dressin door any more it should be about learnin and we plenty of young lads comim tru and imo we couldnt get a beter teacher

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  14. Was gonna comment, but you've said it all...

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  15. could see rafa getting a call at xmas if results dont improve

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  16. To stubbon for his own good i blame him for our cl final defeat in 2007 leaving bellamy and crouch on the bench against an old man back four was just unreal .

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  17. Am I wrong to think you've never given Rodgers a chance? Almost seems like you WANT him to fail!! I don't think success is a guarantee even if Rafa ever came back

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  18. Rafa is making too much money in the Go Compare Car Insurance Advert to come back to football.

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  19. no your not wrong i said from day one he was the wrong man but i wish he would prove me wrong alas i cannot see it am not saying rafa would guarantee success dont think he would want to come back now hes had trouble with the cowboy owners before who by the way like i said have not been seen at anfield as much this season because they no there will not be anymore warm welcomes the way they are performing all the turmoil to get rid of one set of yanks to replace them with another it could only happen if you had a chelsea fan looking after lfcs interest omg we did

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  20. This reminds me of the Brian Clough rivalry with Don Revie. Clough felt like he had to prove that he was the better manager and in this case so did Benitez. To no fault of his own Benitez grew a rivalry with with Mourinho probably through the amount of times we played against Chelsea through Benitez's time. Yes, Mourinho was only at Chelsea for 3 seasons but the heart of the Mourinho era was still there. The same could be said for AVB when he joined Chelsea because he also stripped the place of old trophies and what was evident from that he got no respect from the players. So when Benitez went to Inter and told the players to forget about past achievements was not going to settle well with the players. Obviously the hatred for Mourinho in Benitez was so much he went to Inter to prove that once and for all he is the better manager but if he was to do that he should have gone about it a completely different way.

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  21. Fans crying for Rafa to come back...

    Seriously, you all need to let go. Rafa WILL NOT, I repeat, WILL NOT manage this club ever again and those who are hoping for it to happen obviously also believe that life will come to an end on the 21st of December 2012. ***DELUSIONAL***

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  22. At least he got us to the CL Final!!! Fat chance we will anywhere near the CL anymore nowadays.

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  23. RAFASdaysWEREtheGLORYdays5:59 pm, November 14, 2012

    Rafa had a better head to head than Mourinho in England.Rafa laid to rest a 20 year old ghost when he lifted the CL in 2005 20 years after the Heysel tragedy.20 years of playing second fiddle to europes elite Rafa put us back in our rightful place top of the pile who were going to go on to be ranked no1 club in europe for 2.5 years such was Rafas amazing success.If only H and G had given Rafa the £14m to buy david Silve when a fee had been agreed with Valencia then we would of ha the greatest ever midfield in the history of football Mascherrano Alonso Gerrard Silva.Rafa made LFC he brought the wealth to the club with his success.RH comes along and buys useless players the the King gets given £130m on a plate and wastes it.Rafa had to fight for every penny.The King recently said he can sleep at night,alls i can say is you musnt have a consciounce then

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  24. Rafa's days were the glory days? 2 major trophies in 6 years?

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  25. Great manager, was sorry to see him go. If the club ever got rid of Rodgers (let's hope his plan becomes a bit clearer in January) then the only stumbling block to me wanting Rafa back is whether he would play the youngsters. I'd be concerned Suso, Wisdom et al would all be swallowed up in yet another rebuild.

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  26. What happened with Xabi and his father?

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  27. rafa, lfc through and through, great man and top coach

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  28. please God ...i will even call him myself ....Buck Rogers in his last interview said that if we get 8th it would be "fantastic" whatttt is dat ....did we loose King Kenny and not employ Rafa for someone whi things 8th would be " Fantastic "

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  29. Spot on Jason ....most Liverpools ex managers came with some real pedigree and Rafa almost took us 2 winnig the league the season before his last ...he was also responsible for rejovinating the youth academy and responsible for bringing in the susos and sterlings .... i agree his man mangering is terrible but if he learnt for his mistake ...he would be a great .....
    Buck Rogers started by talking big " remember transforming Liverpool in Tika tika and turning anfield into a fortress etc etc but no real action on the field .....
    i also said he was the wrong signing and would hav been very happy to have been proven wrong ....if he gets us 4th which i belive KK and Clake would have got this season after learning for the last years mistakes then i will back him ....until thn ...im sorry not ...I love Liverpool football club , not FSG or Buck ...they have to prove the talks with actions

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  30. Max is back, sorry but you are a mid-table minded fan who thinks a mediocre manager such as mr brendan (we were terrific today) rodgers will restore to their rightful place, at the top of the english prem. I do not expect brendan to do anything magical like rafa used to do. And we are certainly going nowhere with those profit minded yanks running the club. YNWA RAFA!!!

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  31. http://www.caughtoffside.com/2008/03/11/rafa-punishes-new-dad-xabi-is-he-too-football-obsessed/

    Rafa thought Xabi should not have delayed joining the squad to attend the birth of his son, after Rafa had stayed with the squad following his father's death

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  32. Rafa did identify players like Silva, Danny Alves and the like before they became too expensive but was denied the funds by H and G . Like I said, he could have been a LFC great.

    He just needed to learn when to put an arm round a player and when to bend his strict rules to suit the situation. I seemn to remember Stevie saying he rarely praised anybody however well they did. That to me is a weakness

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  33. Rafa made us good enough to make it to the final!!! And now we are struggling to qualify for europa league!!! Don't you so called fans get it. You lot are quick to pick out the errors rafa and liverpool have made in the past. But we are not even in the competition to MAKE those mistakes. GOD PLEASE HELP LIVERPOOL.

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  34. It's strange about Benitez, isn't it? Such a huge talent but...nobody wants him. Bit like Lucas really. Could it possibly be that it's because he's hugely arrogant and as stubborn as a mule? Couldn't stand the chap myself, even when he was at Valencia.

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  35. but he got results, should still be in charge now, no disrespect to Rodgers, but Im sure rafa would have learnt from his mistakes by now.
    a hard man but a true pro

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  36. he could be waiting for a return, you never know!!
    im glad he never went to Chelsea, half the Spanish team would end up there, especially with romans money.
    I think he came across arrogant because of the british press and silly questions after games from reporters.
    if lucas carried on his top form without the injurys im sure there would have been interest from other top clubs, hes a very tidy footballer who reads the game well.
    in my opinion ;)

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  37. Thats not what he said.

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  38. Yes...right...damn him for getting us to the brink of winning a second CL trophy for us. What a fool he must be.

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  39. I was going to comment that I was going to comment but then I saw that you commented that you were going to comment so I decided not to comment but obviously had to comment that I didn't need to comment like you didn't comment.

    Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment.

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  40. This guy says 2 major trophies like they are bad things. And since he's gone we have won what? Do you call the Carling Cup a major honour???

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  41. Yep, he should never have taken the Inter job. It wasn't only a poisoned chalice because Mourinho was a tough act to follow, but Jose only ever viewed Inter as a stop gap and never planned for the future. They had a load of old players who already felt they'd achieved everything by the time Rafa got there. The chairman wouldn't listen either. They've only got back on their feet now after a few seasons in the wilderness because they've brought throught the youth manager i.e. someone with a vision for the future.

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  42. thanks mate... And Rafa is crazy...

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  43. What a morning inspiration...

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  44. I think this is in poor taste. Marco Materazzi is a twat and is not well liked at all by the general fan populace. His comments should mean little and should not be helped along. You are better than that.... I hope. ;)

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  45. People should remember that Rafa managed us before we lost ground as a top team, when players like Masch and Torres saw us as a top place to go. Not all Rafa's fault, but that was already slipping during his last couple of seasons.

    Who knows what Rodgers would have done with Torres in form up front and a midfield of Xabi, Lucas Gerrard and Mascherano. I bet he would dearly love that quartet now and that we wouldn't be 13th in the league...

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  46. Rafa mate - I hope the mancs get Rafa

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  47. Fact is that Rafa won nothing in his last four seasons at the club so how that can be justified as our glory days is just mind boggling.

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  48. Mid table minded? It is you who cannot see that Rodgers needs to be given a fair crack at the whip.

    We have been in decline since Rafa's last season and we are still struggling but the only way we will get back to our real glory days i.e. Shankly, Paisley, Fagan and Kenny's first spell is to have patience and give Rodgers a chance.

    Profit minded yanks? Please elaborate...

    Just because Rafa the dictator is not managing LFC anymore doesn't mean you have to be sour towards the new owners and manager that are now with the club.

    Rafa is no more and will never be part of the club again. What do you not understand about that? Move on please.

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  49. Are players qeueing to come to Anfield like in Rafa's tenure? Would the so called big clubs take Rodgers as a Gaffa? Rodgers is a gent and LFC through and through like Rafa however there it ends. Rafa is a great tactician and is not a nanny to the players. The Academy is flourishing by Rafa's groundwork. Incidentally I also think Rodolfo Borell is better than Rodgers. Watch the youngsters play, like a machine. I rest my case

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  50. Think that's an insult to three great footballers to put Lucas in same sentence , never mind the same team , the mind boggles

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  51. Its funny that Liverpool are where they are today because we lack ambition. Appointing Rodgers was a big mistake. I used to follow LFC a lot but all hope was lost the day Rogers was made boss. Te prolem with Liverpool is that it has a lot of ex players in the media who think that they are top class managers because they a pundits on TV. It is now an achievement to drawwith the likes of Newcastle and Everton, clubs we used to thrash under Rafa. Continuity is important look at Fergie and Wenger. Add to that you have the billionaires at Chelsea and Man City. What Liverpool need is a good manager. You win games now not tomorrow because Barcelona might come with a big offer for Sterlin and the next thing his gone. Reina, Agger, Skartel, Torres, Gerrad Mascherano, Johnson, Alonso. What we need are new owners some people with real money to take over Liverpool before our value goes down. Its so sad that we used to talk about one or two players away from winning the league to we do not if we are ever gonna win it. I think a massive Billionaire is what Liverpool need and a good pay off for Rogers. Honestly I do understand the Barcelorna argument but anybody can manage them cause they have quality all the way. Rafa needs to come back. Liverpool FC does not belong where it is. We should be beating United nd Arsenal at Anfeld period. We now win a game after3 and Brendan is praised for his tikka takka ninsense. Its better to win ugly and winning the league. Look at where we are. Brenda Rogers aint good enough for Liverpool.

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  52. Rafa did make some huge mistakes with team selection and transfers and he wasn't the best of man-managers (IOM) BUT in spite of all that he was still loved by the vast majority of our fans and would be welcomed back tomorrow. I guess love is blind but it is clear the man will be part of Liverpool for all time (not just Liverpool FC).

    There is therefore no need to ennumerate his attributes and deficiencies for that reason! To fans team management is largely a confidence thing.

    When Rafa was in the dugout fans were always confident he would make things happen. From my standpoint that feeling is not present with the current management setup.

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  53. Mancs are actually the ones who were hoping he'd stay with us. That's how highly they think of him. Interesting to see that many of our own fans still want him back. One thing they can agree on with Mancs.

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  54. Was gonna say it made me laugh... Use that sense of humor more often, it's tense around here...

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  55. Taken from Rafa's book:
    (On facing Inter) "And they had, in Materazzi an obvious weak point. If Torres could run against him...he would not be able to cope."

    I don't think Rafa really rated him as a player.

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