There has been a great deal of talk in recent weeks of former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez’s ‘legacy’. In simple terms: what players Benitez left for the next manager to work with, and the general consensus from the utterly objective English press is that the squad Roy Hodgson has been left with is a total, unadulterated mess. Looking at the current squad though – and that is including one or two of the players the current manager has added – Rafa Benitez has nothing to apologize for.
In his interview with the Sunday Independent, Rafa Benitez seems to spend a lot of time defending his 6 years at Liverpool. For the most part, he talks about the squad he left behind, in terms of how good, big, and capable of sitting above 18th in the league table it is. After being pushed on whether he should take any of the responsibility for where his old side currently lies in the table, he says
“I was very clear that when I left we had a better squad than we had in the past, and a better team. We left a good team, a very good team. A lot of people are talking about the legacy but the legacy was fantastic.”
Mentioning some of his ex-players, and some he brought to club, Rafa mentions the likes of Mascherano, Benayoun, Riera (say what you will, but even the Riera haters have to admit he was a very technically gifted player, even if he was a whining prima donna), Carragher, Gerrard. Along with those we can include Torres, Reina, Johnson, Agger, Skrtel, Insua, Lucas, and Kuyt. Then there were ‘squad’ players like Ngog, Cavalieri, Aurelio, Kyrgiakos, Babel, Rodriguez, Jovanovic (yes, he was a Benitez signing, despite what the press will lead you to believe), Pacheco, Nemeth. That makes up a squad of 23 players. Now, it is obvious that there are Lucas, Insua, Kuyt haters amongst our fans but not even they could claim that there is a player in those mentioned that isn’t at least Premiership quality. In fact, you could go as far as to say that that is a very good squad of players indeed. Unfortunately, the argument that Rafa left us with a shoddy squad is absolute, complete tripe. What the Spaniard actually left Liverpool football club with is a squad that was at least a top-7 side, based on last seasons’ position, and undoubtedly capable of finishing higher. What makes this argument even more moot is that the current manager has actually added two very high quality international midfielders to that squad in Meireles and Cole. So in effect, we should have a stronger squad than last season.
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Rafa can apologise for the squad he left behind as well as the Champions League win, going to the final again, FA cup win, getting us ranked no 1 in Europe, our highest PL points tally, humiliating the mancs at old trafford 4-1, smashing Real Madrid 4-0, beating Barca and Inter away. All this while the club is in financal meltdown. Yes Rafa you have a lot to apologise for.
Your absolute truth has been spoken.
Very good article – what with Rafa’s interview and Alan Hansen giving his opinion, talk about “a leak”. Oh I hope heads roll!
Finally – words of wisdom & truth.
I loved Rafa (still do) but I never claimed he was faultess cos he wasn’t.
The last few lines about papering over the cracks & getting on with it is very pertinent indeed. Roy is only realising the reality of the mess at board level (&how much that has flitered down to pitch level) now. The players are good enough on the whole it is the system (or change of the system) that is causing the issue here alongside a total lack of confidence – just look at the Blackpool game – we were 2nd to every ball and playing with the handbrake on even in the 2nd half.
Rafa had all the same problems last year (&more) yet still managed an excellent run in Europe (I give you the spineless 0-0 draw at Utrecht only last week as an example of the distance we’ve fallen already in Europe)alongside a 7th place finish. All this with his spine players either unfit, off form or both. Don’t even get me started on the ownership issues, the boardroom antics and the lack of spending.
Remember Hicks saying back in Jan2010 that ‘this summer would be big’.
Rafa is known & loved by the REAL Lfc fans out there.
Back to Roy – he needs time BUT shoudl he lose many more league games the pressure may take its toll on him. I would be unwise to say they (board) wouldn’t sack him before Christmas but they might put the pressure on for him to walk…
well he could apologize for buying an injured midfielder for 20 million when we were crying out for a striker, a decision which cost us a champions league place and started the rot.
SACKING RAFA WAS A BIG MISTAKE !!! YANK PURSLOW OUT… BRING BACK RAFA!!!
we are liverpudlians we must give the manager more time – he deserves that and i’m a big critic.
ALL MANAGER MAKE MISTAKE.. BUT RAFA IS ABOVE HODGSON! YNWA
Imagine what would have happend if Rafa was still our manager.
1. he would have stood up for Torres against our old foe, and
2. he would not have tried to befriend with our enemy;
3. we would not have lost to Blackpool;
4. he would have exposed more about the lies by the Yanks, & Purslow alike;
5. he would have shown his bravery by being outspoken in supporting the fans
Rafa was our best manager since King Kenny. We miss him, and miss him badly.
Nothing to apologise for?
Rafa forced Alonso out
Rafa jeopardised the team to make his point against the board
Rafa spent 21m no aqua and never played him
Rafa spent 18m on johnson, a supposed defender, who cannot defend.
Rafa has got a hell of a lot to apologise for, though not near as much as Roy and the Monkeys in charge of him.
If it is possible Iwant RAFA back to Liverpool. He is the best n he is the only one who can hand this mess. He already has admitted Liverpool is his home n he give his all.
But i know this is impoosible so as liverpool to get back into the track.
Last year situation was the same but still he has a litlle hope of geting to top 4 just mathmatically but this time we ve only a hope that we can battle through relegation zone.
We really miss u RAFA
Rafa did make mistakes but he is not to blame for getting duff players when he asked for better – he is not to blame when players he did buy did not perform in the prem (Morientes etc) He is not to blame for not being allowed to buy real quality when he needed it & he is not to blame when our best players got injured last season & then struggled to find form causing us to finish outside of the top four.
In short Rafa worked hard tried hard to and had a lot of success especially in Europe
Leave the gu alone – LFC do not trash their managers. Full stop
Tomkins has the same sentiment as you, good lad. Honest and brutal unlike some sycophantic Roy cronies. Just to my own piece here. No matter how good the player is, he still only an unit of the team. Quality players without proper guidance from their manager would be lost anytime, any game. If the medias proclaim Liverpool players are trash then rafa is a super-overachiever and that make Roy practically useless. If Liverpool has good players as we believe then rafa is right manager should have given more leeway and Roy’s fault is bloody obvious. Think about Blackpool with the players at it’s disposal, his manager must be doing a Rafa with the medias humping on Rafa’s trashy players. Simply put Blackpool’s manager is way better than Roy in deploying his players be it good or bad and Roy just has no clue what to do with his players. He is the manager but does act like one. So leave the players alone, for they has just found out they got a clueless manager.
I will stand by all responders to this article, plus the writer, minus #5. I still am a proud Rafa diehard and never have thought otherwise. Not once have I said he was perfect, neither do my fellow diehards.
Truth is Rafa is class, independent-minded and original. The fakes we call journos (at least the bigger number) and media darling bozos allied to a certain manger cannot handle Rafa.
Rafa is NOT to blame for our current hole. He IS owed an apology. To me, Rafa the Red was a miracle worker. How he kept Brand Liverpool relevant beyond and above where we are will forever be beyond this guy’s comprehension.
Whether you like Rafa or not, he has what Roy will never have – balls! Roy’s a wimp and Ferguson loves it.
Let me add #10 to five. It’s not about being blindly (and rabidly pro-Rafa) – and FYI, he’s already admitted to his own mistakes – a very big man.
It is about unfair tarnishing of a man whose crime was to be obsessively LFC, who steeped himself in the club’s unique culture, whose bond with the fans was Shankesque.
No Kopite would EVER bow to rubbish about the club. The baloney peddled about Benitez is topmost in that noxious heap.
Thank you for this article. I think those words in defense of Rafa needed to be spoken.
he belongs at Liverpool. There’s no doubt about it. It wasn’t easy being a manager of Liverpool during those times, what with all the financial troubles and what not, but he still came through. Thrashing Real Madrid 4-0, took us to 2 CL finals, helped us win the FA Cup etc. If i could, i wish he would stay at Liverpool forever
Rafa, LFC is forever in debt for your service. You stood up to the owners, the press, fergie scum, the board. You brought unbelievable joy in winning the champions league, a night i will always remember. Improved the squad year on year, sustaining the closest premiership campaign against Manure ever since the last time we won the title, And please, come back after you’re done with Inter.
Im embarressed by the delusion of you all. Rafa spent a massive budget but only one in ten of his buys were any good. He bought players and then learnt about them after.
Rafa shredded his legacy in his final 2 years by panic buying and bad man-management, and hodgsons is now having to deal with the consequences of that.