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Rafa Benítez (now unemployed)

Greg

by Greg
in Football

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Would you have Rafa back?   

463 members have voted

  1. 1. Would you have Rafa back?

    • Yes, as manager, immediately
      101
    • Yes, as manager, but at some point in the future (eg if relegated)
      97
    • Yes, in an advisory or DoF role
      74
    • No, not in any meaningful capacity
      132

This poll is closed to new votes


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Thomson Mouse

Thomson Mouse

Posted
Posted

I’ve told the story a few times but a Liverpool supporting mate invited me to a Carragher talk in here in Perth years ago.

 

He basically said that Benitez’ tactics and understanding were amazing, he just didn’t have the big connection to the players. Houllier took over and the the tactics fell off a bit but he was a people person.

 

As far as his players etc go then I don’t think he’s any worse than most top managers and certainly when he was here he made do with what he could get.

 

Perfect, no. A plan for the future and connection to the city/region, absolutely.

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joeyt

joeyt

Posted
Posted

I think there was something from Steven Gerrard saying that Rafa wasn't very personal and always called him 'Gerrard' rather than his first name or a nickname.

 

I went to a talk by Martin Hardy a few years ago and he said he did an interview with Matt Ritchie, which Ritchie had to stress to Hardy that everbody calls him 'Ritchie' around the training ground and it wasn't Rafa being impersonal. I think the Gerrard stuff affected Rafa and made a real effort to be more personal

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NUFCDoog

NUFCDoog

Posted
Posted

I’ve been listening to back episodes of ‘That Peter Crouch Podcast’ and Rafa comes up a few time’s when they’re talking about various bits from when Crouch was at Liverpool, you can tell Crouch isn’t really a fan but the other two set him right.

 

Anyway, Crouch tellls a couple of stories that used to frustrate me with Rafa here but still shows the detail he goes onto, he said in relation to tactics it didn’t matter if it was Man Utd at Anfield or Watford, he was meticulous with his planning and tactics set up,basis even when they played a team bottom of the league he’d focus so much on it and plan how they need to set up and play and it was frustrating to the players but he just loved to plan everything. Remember we were that way In the Championship where we’d set up ‘defensive’ and organised even at home to the likes of Burton but that’s Rafa.

 

When the players used to share a hotel room also Rafa used to pair them up with who they’d be playing with, so the two centre backs would be together, two central mids and your strikers all in separate rooms, Crouch couldn’t get his round it but Rafa assumes and hoped they would spend all the night in there talking about the game so they’d be more in tune the next day, they didn’t but That’s exactly what Rafa would do so he assumed they would, he’s obsessed with football.

 

Crouch didn’t follow Rafa instructions for a few games and he started scoring goals, Rafa had a word and said why aren’t you doing what I tell you, Crouch thought it was fine as he was scoring goals but then Rafa dropped him for the next few games. Ballsy that.

 

There’s a funny bit as well where Crouch complains that Rafa for some reason played him on the left, said it was an awful decision and he played terrible...then goes on to say they won the game though and he scored 2 goals! Host says wel it worked then and you scored and won so Rafa was right, felt like a lightbulb moment for him to recognise the genius.

 

Really interesting tidbits that keep popping up on him like, obsessed with football.

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Pandamninator

Pandamninator

Posted
Posted

Houllier was Rafa's predecessor.

 

Must’ve remembered the order wrong then but the message is still the same

 

Could've been talking about Roy Hodgson who came in after Rafa at Liverpool.

 

I have no doubt Woy is a smashing bloke - no one seems to have a bad word against him, but inept in modern football when it comes to gameplans and tactics.

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Guest Carrick18

Guest Carrick18

Posted
Posted

I’ve told the story a few times but a Liverpool supporting mate invited me to a Carragher talk in here in Perth years ago.

 

He basically said that Benitez’ tactics and understanding were amazing, he just didn’t have the big connection to the players. Houllier took over and the the tactics fell off a bit but he was a people person.

 

As far as his players etc go then I don’t think he’s any worse than most top managers and certainly when he was here he made do with what he could get.

 

Perfect, no. A plan for the future and connection to the city/region, absolutely.

In essence, this is what held him back at Real Madrid. I remember him telling Modric to refrain from outside of the boot passes as they weren't always as accurate.

 

As for Gouffran, he was an unfortunate case reminiscent of Henri Saivet.

 

He arrived as a last-minute buy, a consequence of Graham Carr's French obsession, and then played under a series of awful managers that didn't fancy him as a striker but didn't know how to effectively incorporate a wide-forward. He was on a decent run before he arrived at us, and we sucked all of the momenta out of his career. I'd wager Rafa liked him because he was dependable, industrious, and knew how to do a job in several positions. That's the prototypical Benitez player.

 

I think had he stayed he would most likely have been a bit-part player for cup games or the last 15-20 minutes of games. Rafa always wanted a squad with depth because he knew his approach was physically taxing. Saying all that, I got a distinct feeling he was sick of the club by the end. A combination of the owner being a t*** and fans turning on him meant it was probably for the best.

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r0cafella

r0cafella

Posted
Posted

Exactly, he was cheap and could follow instruction. Giving him a new contract wouldn’t dictate he was going to be a starter. It’s more a case of this is someone who I wouldn’t prioritise replacing as he can follow instruction and perform a desired task.

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Happinesstan

Happinesstan

Posted
Posted

I think Gouf had some [limited] talent, but he hid a lot under Pardew and virtually disappeard under McClaren, he'd just run up and down a very long channel from left back to left wing, and never really get involved. Rafa got the best we've seen out of him (albeit in the championship) and I would have trusted him as a back-up, in the Prem, under Rafa.

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Guest reefatoon

Guest reefatoon

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Posted

Was he not a forward originally too? We just decided to sign him and never play him there.

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Deuce

Deuce

Posted
Posted

Atsu was effective enough on the break because of his pace and had some useful displays first season back, as rubbish as he is.

 

Gouffran was no use at the top level. Got to question Rafa a bit if he genuinely wanted to keep him around.h/]

 

It makes sense if Rafa had no faith in being given funds for a replacement.

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joeyt

joeyt

Posted
Posted

McClaren pretty much never used him at all.

 

Benitez clearly didn't plan to either, he tried Anita on the wing first

 

Yeah I don't think he was involved until the Reading game. Aarons was ahead of him too.

 

But we seemed to win more games with Gouffran in the side than when Atsu and Ritchie both played from what I remember

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