Former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch has called former Reds boss Rafael Benitez tactically ‘the best’ manager he ever worked with.
The former England international retired at the end of last season after a glorious career, and he has named Benitez as the master tactician from his time playing.
“When I was at Liverpool I had Rafa Benitez, Tottenham: Harry Redknapp,” he told Match of the Day. “It’s such a difficult one, because I love both of them.
“Harry, I felt, was the best man-manager I’ve probably ever worked for. Rafa was tactically probably the best I’ve ever worked for. Can we combine them both?,” he joked.
Rafa Benitez or Harry Redknapp?@petercrouch compares his time at Liverpool and Spurs in our BBC Football @instagram story.#LIVTOT pic.twitter.com/nXQJhDckFJ
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) October 27, 2019
OPINION
It certainly seems that, were you to combine Benitez and Redknapp’s best qualities, then you’d come up with one of the finest football managers around. We’ve heard time and again what a good man-manager Redknapp is. It’s clear just from listening to him talk and watching him on television that he’s a hugely engaging, endearing personality who it would be easy to fall in love with as a player. He’s the sort of manager you’d run through walls for, and that’s clearly what Crouch is getting at here. Then there’s Benitez who, despite being a far colder character, is a master tactician who has honed his craft over many years in the game. You only have to look at the tune he managed to get out of Newcastle last season compared to the dirge served up by Steve Bruce so far this campaign to know what a terrific manager the Spaniard is. As Crouch says, it’s very difficult to compare the two men. They are so vastly different, but both men are undoubtedly among the best around.
