17 Dec 2012

Face Off: Benitez calls it 'amazing'; Dalglish says it's a 'waste of time'. Who's right...?

Former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez seems to place an inordinate amount of importance on the World Club Cup. Prior to Chelsea's defeat in the final on Sunday, he described it as a 'massive competition' and an 'amazing and fantastic' opportunity. The Spaniard used similar superlatives to describe the tournament during his time at Liverpool and Inter Milan, but Reds legend Kenny Dalglish has a completely different view on the competition's worth.

Benitez missed out on winning the competition with Liverpool in 2005, and speaking to the BBC this week, he enthused:

"It's a massive competition. Some people say it is not the biggest in the world but I know it's an important competition. To be here and to have this opportunity to win again is amazing and fantastic."

Amazing AND fantastic? Clearly, Benitez has been watching too many of Brendan Rodgers' press conferences.

In his column for the The Mirror today, Dalglish - who played for LFC in the World Club Cup's historical antecedent, the Intercontinental Cup, in 1981 and 1985 - took the opposite view, and delivered the following scathing assessment of the tournament:

"The Club World Cup is, and always has been, a waste of time. I don’t think it holds any value or any prestige.

"I played in the World Club Championship with Liverpool, and I remember that for most of our stay in Tokyo we had no idea whether it was New York or New Year.

"We were jet-lagged and we knew that the competition was held in little esteem by fans or players. I’m not even sure which television channel is showing it. Which says it all, really".


The competition is pretty pointless in the grand scheme of things, but surely there has to be some benefit in playing a club team from a completely different continent in a competitive game? Players get to experience different players/approaches/tactics/styles/playing environments etc, and there are definitely positive aspects to that.

Jaimie Kanwar


61 comments:

  1. Amazing and Fantastic views from both actually

    ReplyDelete
  2. But why in Japan? And why in december?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know being Australian that although we have not had a club in the competition for a while but it is an honour to play the best around the world.
    I can understand Europeans not rating this comp as the best teams are European but for the rest of us it is the closest a lot of players will ever get to compete against these clubs.
    I can remember when Sydney played in 2005 and the feedback from players and fans was great.

    ReplyDelete
  4. A waste of players jet lagged energy, at the wrong time of the season. However, if a better Premiership team than Chelsea had gone it might have been a bettter result.

    ReplyDelete
  5. it will be a few years before we have to worry about it lol

    ReplyDelete
  6. Had Dalglish shown a different attitude towards the competition, we may have won it back then. I'd prefer us to win the World Club Cup than the League Cup to be honest.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looking through past winners you will find that the best teams, or those who take the competition more serious, are not European but South American.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is the official world championship. The pinnacle. Daiglish is just sour grapes. This trophy encompasses 1000s of teams.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Correction: Taking into account all competitions that have determined the world club champion, teams enlisted within UEFA have won 26 titles compared to 25 won by teams from CONMEBOL.

    ReplyDelete
  10. dalglish always gave 100% as a player and anyone who says other is a rat, kenny has left the club the haters got there way no you have brendan who cant manage his weight at 39 now deal with it kenny has done more good than bad for LFC since he came he even worked with comolli something brendan wouldn't do

    ReplyDelete
  11. I think you are reading too much into my comment.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I don't see it as sour grapes. Kenny lost twice in the competition, so obviously views it in a less charitable light than anyone currently involved in the competition. And in those days, the travel was a lot more arduous.
    Like any trophy, if you win it it's great, but if you get beat you wish you had never bothered.

    ReplyDelete
  13. dalglish won 3 european cups,even more league titles and footballer ov the yr and was world class and is the only liverpool manager to win the prem

    ReplyDelete
  14. As an article its pretty pointless to a reds fan at the moment ....we will have our work cut out finishing in the top half of the Pl...I for one never put much credence on the comp when the reds where ruling europe......i see it more of a Pr jolie for sponsors...as for BENITEZ who cares what he thinks hes chelsea manager....

    ReplyDelete
  15. If Benitez has won it, say something, does something, then means it something.....is that how it works, IRWT brigade?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Look at the teams who featured in the WCC this time round.

    Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Auckland City FC, Ulsan Hyundai, CF Monterrey, Al-Ahly SC, Corinthians. hardly anything to write home about...

    Any EPL team is capable of beating the opposition above. All Chelsea needed to do was win two matches i.e. the semi final and final then they would be the club champions in the world? Give me a break.

    Let's rather talk about the FA Cup or CL. Those are proper cup competitions.

    ReplyDelete
  17. what the f"ck as it got to do with kenny he did not pick the teams,i can tell you soomething we will not have to worry about it whilst your man rodgers is in charge and as rafa would say thats a fact

    ReplyDelete
  18. i see what you did there

    ReplyDelete
  19. name a better man who would take this gang up the table than kenny its alright sayin jose mourinho or pep but they wont come and harry redknapp wont move past watford rafa would have but he has gone, name 1 good player brendan has signed he would have payed £30m for joe "the crab" allen he makes spearing look good david villa wont sign for him he would sign for kenny though, cos kenny demands and has earned it i can back brenda's bums they are dire

    ReplyDelete
  20. No need to get animated, Jason and no need to use profanities.

    I'll tell you what it has to do with Dalglish. The article above contains a quote from Kenny Dalglish belittling the competition.

    Further Rodgers is not my man. I simply support the guy in charge of the club I support.

    And as for Rafa's facts, well, didn't he once tell us that he guarantees a top four finish? THAT is a fact.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Who cares if it's a waste of time I'm sure all of us would want to be part of it? You can't deny that.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I think you'd be surprised how few people outside the UK actually know Kenny Dalglish. I too was surprised a few years ago when I found out that people on the continent rather know Matt Le Tissier and Paul Gascoigne then the man we call the king. And to be honest with you, I'd want a player to sign for the club and not for a single man. No-one is bigger than the club.

    ReplyDelete
  23. And therefore everything he says is correct and he can do no wrong?

    ReplyDelete
  24. and rodgers will not get top 4 or win a trophey this year and that is a fact,and re supporting the man in charge what happened with your support with rafa,and king kenny and before you say they made mistakes,rodgers as made more than them put together in FACT,i would go as far as to say hes(rodgers) one of the biggest mistakes in our entire history ,ive never seen you say a good word about either ps re rodgers i do not blame him i blame the lunatics that signed him with so little experience,cannot blame him for jumping at the chance ,who would not,more and more fans are getting pig sick of this,medioca regime i feel january will fsgs last chance to salvage there standing at the club

    ReplyDelete
  25. Did I support Rafa in his first year? Yes (even beyond that first year)! Did I support Kenny in his first year? Yes! Will I stop supporting Rodgers when it becomes obvious to me that he won't succeed? Yes, but probably not the way you do not support him!

    You've never seen me post a good word about Rafa or Kenny? Then you should search harder and you will succeed (FACT).

    ReplyDelete
  26. The WCC is a waste of time to an extent. It's only because it's not esteemed by fans and FIFA.

    Surely the winners of each continents Champions League playing against each other is exciting?

    The prize money says it all lol!

    But I guess it's good experience.

    ReplyDelete
  27. ok lol you must need things clearly show to you before you see the obvious ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Jason, with all due respect, you know nothing about the things I clearly need.

    Seeing the obvious? Well, I obviously see things that are so obvious that you don't see them. Obviously a matter of perspective. I can't claim that my point of view is correct, but so can't you.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Kenny has won the prem but nor for Liverpool

    ReplyDelete
  30. Look guys kenny bought world class players in his second spell hendo Charlie Carroll downing,I mean they are pure garbage and the so called king thought this would take lfc back to the glory days.enough said let rodgers have his go and see where he can take us ynwa

    ReplyDelete
  31. Sorry about interfering but Jason, he is fair in saying if Dalglish had a better attitude towards it we'd have a better record in it, but he didn't criticise Dalglish negatively and he wasn't doubting his commitment to Liverpool, no Liverpool fan can be regarded as such if they doubt his commitment...

    And as for Rodgers being a mistake and Dalglish having a better impact than a bad one then you clearly need to be put in place. Rodgers hasn't even had a year as manager so he's doing the best he can with the team he's been left by KD, so obviously in the amount of time KD was there he's had better fortunes. In fact Rodgers has for the most part been getting Liverpool to show signs of improvement, we've been unlucky with decisions and lapses in concentration, I believe even with the shortcomings of BR so far he's shown at Swansea and at times here that he's passionate about his philosophy and a desire to succeed and in time he too will have had a better impact at Liverpool than a negative one.

    You arguing with someone for giving their opinion and not even in a constructive positive manner has shown what's wrong with fans in general today, the heart too often misguiding your brain and begging for instant success, believing you to be all knowing. The insults just show immaturity.

    ReplyDelete
  32. i don,t they are my opinions but a see on another post today you slate kds and rafas signings but you never have a bad word for rodgers and his garbage signings,but if you get off slating all the previous managers thats fine imo i don,t think you will have to wait long before you can add rodgers to that list saying that the other great champions in your life (fsg) will probably keep him for years because hes there yes man,never mind i can get used to watching the dross i have my memories its the next genaration of fans we risk losing whilst we slip into mediocracy and without fans we are nothing

    ReplyDelete
  33. I completely agree with King Kenny.

    If you want to have a World Club Cup of any significance, then you need to assemble every league's champion of the hightest tier and let them battle it out to finally see which team is the best, the rightful World Club Cup Champion !!

    Anything else of a format for this competition is pointless !!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Jason, I thought that in recent weeks I have acknowledged that Allen's form is very poor in direct replies to your comments. I don't think that he is a bad player. Just as in Lucas I can see what qualities he can bring to our cause, when on form. Furthermore he is just 22, unlike downing, who should be at his peak right now. And I also don't think that Borini is a bad signing. He is, as I have stated before, not what we really needed right needed right now (a proven goalscorer). He, too, is young and there is enough time for him to improve. Who else do we have. Rodgers signed Assaidi. Many on here talk about him as if he was Messi. I don't see that. He has a few tricks in his box, probably more than Downing, but to me he didn't look the part yet. He clearly needs to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Prem. I actually didn't slate all of Rafa's or Kenny's signings. On here and on the website I post most apart from here, I have often been ridiculed for defending Henderson, whom I think still become a very useful player for us.
    The comment I've made about one of Rafa's and one of Kenny's signings (Aquilani and Carroll) was in direct response to someone who tried to single out Rodgers for bad signings, which I didn't find fair, given that his predecessors did, at least at times, considerably worse.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Yip, if Chelsea had won the WCC then could they really call themselves champions of the world when all they needed to do was win two matches against teams who are not quite up to standard. This competition surely is just a distraction. What benefit was this long trip for Chelsea even if the had won it?

    ReplyDelete
  36. My gut feel tells me that Rogers will take us to The Championship! It's just a hunch premised on the current league-table standings.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Rafa is a waffler. Of course he rates it. Otherwise he would have to admit his time at Inter was a joke. Its a not that important a competition and more of a hassle than anything. Its nice to win it if your in it(& the European team should win it) but no one really cares ..

    ReplyDelete
  38. I think that the club world cup is an important competition. I really don't think that Kenny Daglish is an authority on the subject. He played in it and didn't take it seriously and that attitude is why many clubs don't win it. Kenny didn't take things seriously either last season. To me he has lost all credibility.

    I think that this competition is a legitimate one. Where else can smaller clubs from other continents operating on a shoe string budgets embarrass a major galacticos with more money than god like Chelsea. It is clear that in South America the club world cup is a serious matter. Previous years has seen Brazilian clubs Internacional and Sao Paulo do very well. This year it was Corinthian's turn. Rich western clubs feel that they have a heavy fixture list and take champions league competition much more seriously. Kenny Daglish expressed the typical attitude that many westerners have for this competition. I took it seriously and enjoyed the opportunity to watch clubs that i don't often see on t.v. I didn't mind getting up at earlier at 4 am to get ready for work so that i could then watch the game from 5.30 am to 7.30am then leave right after that for the job. Can't wait to see it 2013.

    ReplyDelete
  39. If people outside the UK do know Le Tissier and Gascoigne more than Dalglish, then it shows everything that is wrong with the British media and the kind of 'stars' we like to export.
    For 2 seasons Kenny was the best player in Europe.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Not sure whether this is the (British) media's fault. Gascoigne played in Italy, in a national side that gets quite a bit of attention at international tournaments and was a character in some way, on to make headlines (just like Balotelli, but probably not that bad). Le Tissier was an extremely talented player and I am often surprised that people know him, given the club he's played for and his few caps. Dalglish on the other hand was our best ever player, but he only played for Scotland (no disrespect intended, but they don't get the world-wide coverage England get). Unfortunately Liverpool is almost always connected to Heysel and Hillsborough in my age group. People seem to have forgotten that we had a quite successful team, too, and players like Dalglish. The point is that Dalglish may not have the pull that some people on here seem to think. And, no, I don't want Le Tissier or Gascoigne to manage us.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Doesn't happen very often that I agree with something your write, but this is a quite good comment, Chib. Is this, a comment from you that I like, my Christmas present :-) ? Anyway, God surely has more money than Chelsea, if he wants to.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Thanks. Unfortunately I doubt Jason will change his attitude towards people he doesn't agree with.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Yeah I agree with that, I would've liked to see Dalglish take an executive position or help with the youth and still bring Rodgers in as the manager, because I do like his approach, also agree with his over reliance of favourite people, but I think he's just trying to get a stable first team

    ReplyDelete
  44. I am glad another overseas person can see this football doesnt just revolve around what Europe wants.

    ReplyDelete
  45. kd won our 1st tropheey for 6 years nearly two so we were improving ,normally when a new manager comes in results improve re kd after hodgeson ,under rodgers the results have not improved in fact he has a worse record than roy,you also state rodgers has been unlucky well kenny had his fair share of bad luck to,hitting the woodwork more times than i care to remember,lucas injured ,suarez ban.what gets me is the football we are playing is so boring and slow,hes (rodgers) made a worse start than roy yet unlike hodgeson were supposed to see him as some kind of manergeral genius

    ReplyDelete
  46. get agrip don,t play the marter you give as good as you get

    ReplyDelete
  47. he only had one season at anfield in the premier league era last season

    ReplyDelete
  48. All hail to KING KENNY!!! Knighthood for him soon!!!

    ReplyDelete
  49. If your theory that I give as I take was true, then I would use swear words now. As your theory is wrong I simply tell you that I disagree. In this case I do it your way, without any propper argumentation.

    ReplyDelete
  50. And given the form in the second half of last season we'd rather have won the Championship than the Premier League.

    ReplyDelete
  51. I've had that gut feeling in the second half of last season, albeit it was Kenny and not Rodgers back then.

    ReplyDelete
  52. agrree? compared to what our form for the first half of this season

    ReplyDelete
  53. While I am not happy with our form so far this season, it is better than in the latter part of last season.

    ReplyDelete
  54. well there we will just after agree to disagree the league form dipped last year due to cup finals ,i can honestly say last season even in the bad times i always believed that we could go out and give some team a pasting, this year i dread games waiting for us to get a pasting we have had a few already this season ,wba,villa,god one of the good teams could end up destroying us

    ReplyDelete
  55. So, in other words, if we had put more emphasis on the league instead of the League Cup and FA Cup, we might have qualified for the CL. Now tell me, if you were a talented football player, would you rather join a team that is at least close to CL qualification or one that won the League Cup.

    And to be honest, last season I feared at least as much that we could get a pasting as this season, though this season I can see, at least at times, a tactical shape in our team. Think it is obvious what the manager wants the team to do, the way he wants them to play, unlike last season where I, at times, got the impression that all the manager did was to tell the players to go out and enjoy themselves on the pitch (which might well work if your players are way better than the opposition).

    ReplyDelete
  56. we lost our legue chances with the surez ban we got europa throught the carling cup so it stands to reason if a champions legue place as gone you concentrate on the fa cup,and as for kenny telling them just to go out and enjoy themselves on the pitch,how many times in post match intervievs did he say that the performace was not good enought for lfc and the players need to look at themselves,whilst with rodgers the bigger the beating the more he trys to say we were unlucky,or played fantastic i cannot remember a game this season that excited me apart from maybe west ham and that was more about the result than the performance

    ReplyDelete
  57. If you would find as many excuses for Rodgers as you do for Kenny, then we'd be fine.

    BTW in another comment I mention that I am grateful for winning the League Cup simply because it guaranteed European qualification.

    ReplyDelete
  58. I actually liked Le Tissier. In fact, I thought he was brilliant. Gazza on the other hand was a buffoon who pissed away his talent. Which is probably why he was adored so.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Agree about Le Tissier. And about Gazza, too, though I feel kind of sorry for him. So much talent and so little brains or maturity to go with it. Think he was a funny guy. Unlike Balotelli, who, too, has loads of talent and obviously no brains.

    ReplyDelete