According to recent reports, Rafa Benitez has yet again expressed an interest in returning back to Merseyside as the manager of Liverpool. The ex-Liverpool gaffer was quoted saying:
“I was really proud to be the Liverpool football club manager, so I would like that in the future …… But Kenny is doing a good job and I have no rush (for that) now. Maybe I would have to wait – five years, three years, 20 years – I don’t know! ….. But I’m still young, so I have time and I will keep moving forward.”
However, with Kenny Dalglish at the helm and the players, fans and owners, and apparently even the media, all pledging their support to The King, Rafa surely understands that realization of his desire is practically impossible.
So, is this the end of the road towards Anfield for Señor Benitez? Fortunately for Benitez, there could be a way in through assuming the preceding Carlos Queiroz role at Manchester United. Although this proposal does have many advantages, including having all the tactical knowledge and experience of the Spaniard in hand, which are not to be underestimated, there are certain risks to consider before deciding if this proposal has any chance of being successful.
Egos
The most risk to consider is perhaps the egos. This includes that of Steve Clarke as well as Benitez. Would Benitez accept being at a sharing number 2 role at Anfield with Clarke? Would Clarke accept this?
Regarding Benitez, I do not foresee why he would not accept this, particularly given the lengthiness of his unemployment, his unwillingness to join anything less than a major club in the Premier League and the opportunity to work with and get exposed to a totally contrasting style of management from a Reds legend, at least until he finds a job that suits his ambitions, in a similar way that Queiroz did twice at United when offered the opportunity to manage the Portugal national team and Real Madrid.
As for Clarke, I do not think that this would be an issue given that he initially joined Liverpool as a first team coach, assuming a number 3 role behind Kenny Dalglish and Sammy Lee. Obviously, Kenny would have to carefully manage this in order to avoid repeating the Houllier/Evans disaster.
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i think he should go and manage a team or teams and not even think about lfc for a few years because i see carra as being a future boss not rafa
Carra as manager is an absolute joke!
Yaaa That Would Be A Up Hill Task For Carra ………… !!! I Would Hope To C Carra Take Charge Of The First Team ….. And Grow From There To Be A Lfc Manager …….!!!! Rafa Was Sacked By Those Yanks …… If Rafa Had Been Given The Transfer Chest Of 100mil in 2 Transfer Windows , He Would Have Brought In Quality Young Players …. Bt Was Only Provided With 20 mil and money from sales of players … Surely Would Be Gr8 To C him back , may be after 5 yrs …… Hope So ……..
carra is just a noise maker with very poor objectivity thus tactics. Liverpool will fail under him. Rafa is a winner, it shows that you and the author are sentimental and as such near losers. Just my opinion!
I believe your opinion is correct.
For all of benitez’s shortcomings, the truth is that few managers can match his tactical knowledge, including dalglish unfortunately. He was unlucky for most part of his time at LFC and i believe he would have achieved more if he had a sheikh or abramovic backing him. Nonetheless, kenny has my support as will any LFC manager.
I totally agreess with you Mike. Rafa had been unlucky with those bloody cowboys choking the club. He has some shortcoming of course, his stubborness clearly frustrates many of us (including me)but if you given Rafa half the resources that KD has now, we would be topping the table not langusihing in 5th and struggling to beat 10 men teams.
For one i do not see Rafa celebrating that 1 goal scored by our 35 mill man as if he just won the Prem for us. Then again, i do not see Rafa would ever pay 35mill for a donkey posing as a occasional striker.
Interesting proposition but cannot see it happening. Perhaps more likely if results stall, Rafa could slot into director of football. Who knows?
I love Rafa to bits. A legend. Red through and through. Got very little support from the press during his time.
I think though to say 4-2-3-1 is cautious is an error. Barca use it. In 08-09 we used it and were top scorers in the prem.
Well in my opinion carra can be a good manager in a long term process and he should start small and then go on to gain a good reputation and rafa is a much better manager than what we all expect frm him he can give more to the club so give him some time give n the fact that he helped us in winning a few cups an last champions league we won was with him as our manager so after kenny retuires i would prefer raa bein incharge
is KK going to remain as th manager forever? As Rafa said..he can wait…n wth financial support n absence of beauracratic clutter, I hope Rafa comes bck whn KK decides to hang up his blazer (since at tht time we hv overtaken Man U n there’s nothing left for KK to achieve any more)!
Rafa for all his tactical expertise is the exact opposite of the new/old Liverpool the owners are trying to put in place. Rafa does not work well with others especially directors, even when they do a good job, at valencia somebody put the team together that Rafa won 2 out of 3 la liga’s with, did he acknowledge the tactical shewdness? Was he thankful? No he stormed out of the club because the director didn’t do as Rafa commanded. Rafa also does not like to use the academy, yes it needed improving but we still made ta youth cup final 3 years out of 6 he was in charge for and the likes of Kelly and spearing were completely over looked for the likes of plessis and degen to name a few. Rafa does not like to buy young players with potential (see Aguero) but older experienced players on bumper contracts (see Morientes). Generally for all that Rafa loves the club and that every fan should be respectful and thankful for what he achieved for us he is chalk and cheese to what we want right now. And as I’ve pointed out on other posts if the correct calls by officials had been made against stoke and sunderland we would be 6 wins out of 7 despite teething problems with new team so stop talking like we are in crisis.
All the facts that you just wrote are completely one sided.
Regarding directors: he is just passionate, there was no money to spend at valencia, thats why he left.
Regarding acedemy: Spearing is rubbish and kelly would have been 18 when he left, maybe he wasn’t good enough. He has transformed our youth system unfortunately there has been no one good enough when he was at the helm.
Regarding buying players with potential: He bought Alonso when he was young did he not? He bought Reina when he was young, Torres……… The problem with that was Rick Parry wouldn’t let him spend big money on Youth players otherwise we would have Mata, Alves and Silva to name a few.
If we had our owners 5 years ago I have absolutely no doubt we would be in the top 5 teams in the world if not top 3
AGREED David! I would love to see Rafa affiliated with the club one day again, however this is Kenny’s time to prove what he can bring to LFC once again! Carra for future mgr??? I’d rather Fowler or even Hyppia, but Carra is a steam blower!
Questionable incomings did Rafa bring, but I guess it was down to the money! However I was on LFC boards screaming to have Bale, Sturridge, Adam Johnson and Defoe brought to the club on many occassions! Just imagine if we did bring them in! I don’t know how to “trust” any manager, but I felt if Rafa didn’t speak to the media in January (awhile back) about Ferguson and he kept Keano as the back up striker (Torres was injured again!), we would have clinched the Prem over the Mancs that year! (2008 I think?
I would rather bring in a gaffer like Pulis or Holloway…Like their style! No B.S. from them what so ever!
ist really both pro and contras…
BANITEZ + KENNY >> KENNITEZ Rules
( likes bugs bunny show)
@ richard mcgill,i think the only thing that justifies your comment is if you are carra him self and if that is the case it explains your delusional opinion!! @ anfield rd dreamer,i guess eveyone has the right to an opinion and unfortunately that includes the clueless folk too!!
Come on Percy…LFC fans should always value another one of our brothers or sisters opinion! why fight words amongst all the bleed red! Not everyone has the same opinion! I live a half mile from Anfield and have lots of mates that have diff opinions…We respect, cause at the end of the day mate, we’re all singing “YNWA”!
David I appreciate what you say and I wasn’t having a go at Rafa at all I was pointing out two simple facts 1 we as a club right now are not doing anywhere near as bad as people would have you believe and 2 Rafa would not ‘fit in’ with the current way of working that everybody currently at the club wants. Whether its wrong or right Rafa likes to utilize a very large squad (during 08-09 there were over 30 senior players on the books) and likes to use older players with experience/reliability to fill the squad player roles. The new owners, new director and kenny believe in giving academy products the chance to develop and take the squad roles. There is no clear cut answer as to which method would create the better more succesful team but the Rafa method is certainly the more expensive way in transfer fees and wages which is why we have got rid of something like 30 players of 18 or more since they took charge. Rafa and FSG would not be able to work together they have completely different philosophies.
And spearing rubbish? Him and Lucas dominated the multi million pound 3 man midfield of man city last year! Are you trying to say plessis is better? Bought for 2 million on decent wages and same age as jay and played a lot more!
No Plessis was worse than rubbish. Every player has good and bad games. I certainly dont think Spearing is good enough to be a key player in a team challenging for the title and I am sure 99% of liverpool fans would agree.
I am not saying bring Rafa back, I dont want him back, he had his chance the King is better! I just believe he is a good manager and I have a lot of respect for him and felt the need to defend him.
Benitez+comolli+fsg=multible success. Am sori to say bt kk wil destroy his image wit his policy. Kk is jt goin 4 overrated british players, when we could hav easily gotten top players wit £50m. He does not give suso,pacheco,maxi,babel even ngog who is far far beta player then caroll, kk is jt a racist. I nid benitez back please
Babbel – Scored 1 goal in 18 games for Hoffenheim after he left us
Pachecco – Loaned to athletico and then subsequently loaned to another spanish team in the division below
Ngog – 5 goald in 95 games
Maxi – I seem to remember him being branded as ‘deadwood’since he joined us, suddenly he is class because he played well for 3 games?
Suso – hasn’t played a premier league game before in his life
ALL I CAN SAY IS THANK GOD YOU ARE NOT LFC MANAGER!!!
Not 6 months or 1yr but 6yrs without any EPL tittle he was he is a manager but not for Liverpool Fc again try to understand
Comolli is reponsible for suarez nd coates, for the rest is kk. I only support downings signing. Kk signings 1=adam £8m:lack pace,skills and strength makes too many wrong passes. £8m we would hav bought diego, 2=carrol £35m overrate nt worth playin for liverpool, 35m we would hav bought= cavani,llorente,villa,falcao or aguero great strikers 3=henderson £20m= £20=mata,silva,carzola,lavezzi. We would hav bin playin the best football in epl
you are in a dream world.all the players you have named we would not pay the wage and we do not have europe to offer them.