Rafael Benitez
A master of the tactical game and of winning pressure one-off games, Rafael Benitez has the pedigree to be a great manager. Made his name with Valencia before moving to England to manage Liverpool and has led them to 2 Champions League finals in 3 years. That’s more than Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and SAF, so that’s saying a lot.
Valencia won La Liga under him, but Liverpool have been off the pace in the league so far as Rafa in my opinion still has to get his tactics in line with the demands of the Premiership.
Fact: Benitez will NOT get the sack from Liverpool owners
Listen to this week’s Soccerlens Podcast, where Adrian Clarke and Iain Spragg discuss Liverpool’s problems in detail, preview the Liverpool v United game and also talk about why Rafa Benitez is safe in his job regardless of results in the next couple of games [podcast link]. Ian McParland and Gareth Southgate’s sackings have surprised people…
Podcast: Liverpool’s / Rafa’s short-term future and Manchester United in the 90s
Tune in for Episode 25 of the world famous Soccerlens Podcast with ex-footballer Adrian Clarke and football journalist Iain Spragg. This week’s humdinger of a show features a fascinating interview on all things Manchester United and Barcelona with respected football writer and author of new book “Glory, Glory! Man Utd in the 90s – The…
What to do with Liverpool FC (and Rafa)?
It was the best of times, it is the worst of times now for Liverpool fans – of that there can be no doubt. Looking back briefly to last season when Rafa Benitez’s side lead Manchester United in the Premier League by nearly double digits, this was going to be the year that finally ended…
Fan Loyalty: In Rafa We Trust!
“Seeing these smiling faces is the greatest pleasure. They have been magnificent all season. They have been our 12th man. I have always said our fans are the best in England. Now I know they are the best in Europe too.” (Rafa Benitez) Yes indeed, Rafa Benitez may be many things but naiive he most…
Liverpool 1-0 Debrecen – Battling Debrecen undone by Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt’s first half effort handed Liverpool an unconvincing 1 – 0 win over battling Debrecen at Anfield. Boss Rafa Benitez, celebrating his 300th game in charge of Liverpool, named an unchanged side to the one that beat Burnley 4 – 0 on Saturday – but it was the Hungarian champions that came closest to…
Gerrard & Torres? How about Yossi & Dirk?
It’s one of the most tiresome cliches in football these days, yet one that most in the public eye can unilaterally agree on. Liverpool, they say, are a team of two players. No argument. G&T, Stevie & Nando, Gerrard & Torres. Like the zonal marking debate, no conversation about Liverpool is complete without it. But…
Tuesdays have never been so exciting in football
Tuesdays have never been so exciting. Even the institution that is the UEFA Champions League and the subsequent “Champions Tuesdays” fanfare it precipitated hasn’t managed to turn a day of boredom and wistful gazing towards weekends past and future into anything more than a filler day. Seasoned office conversationalists agree on very little- the Euro,…
Liverpool and Manchester United rivalry to heat up this season
For several season now, Manchester United have dominated the encounters between United and their fiercest rivals Liverpool. Last season’s Anfield game was the first time That Rafa Benitez manager to outsmart Sir Alex in a premier league game. Here’s a look at how in course of the season, a fierce rivalry was brought back to life.
Love and football. It hurts.
Del Amitri and football are not something that usually mix. Certainly not with any success, anyway (see this example of World Cup pessimism for details). But whilst musing over Michael Owen’s “Eastenders-end-scene” switch to Manchester United this weekend, it was hard to ignore one of Justin Currie’s lyrics. “It’s hard to say you love someone,…
The transfer merry-go-round- somebody make it stop!
In life there are only a handful of things that are certain. You will watch Big Brother. It will irritate you. MPs will lie through their back teeth (and their front ones). Summer does make girls more attractive. And makes you feel less so. People who ring in radio stations with traffic updates are idiots….
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