Rafa Benitez: One day I'd like to manage Spain

I'm not sure if this should be separated or combined with other threads. Please move if appropriate, thanks in advance.

Benitez: Who said I'm not a good coach!

http://www.espnstar.com/football/premier-league/news/detail/item442702/Benitez:-Who-said-I%27m-not-a-good-coach!/

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has defended his reign at Anfield.

The Spaniard is keen to remain on Merseyside but knows he is likely to face another summer recruitment programme hampered by financial restrictions until the club is sold by owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

But he feels constant speculation about his future - with Inter Milan the latest club he has been linked to - is part of a campaign to force him out.

And he has defended, in particular, his Barclays Premier League record in six seasons at Anfield after dismissing this campaign's seventh-place finish on 63 points - their worst in 11 years - as a blip.

"My critics in London say that I am not a good manager but they forget many details," said Benitez, who has returned to Madrid for a post-season break.

"Liverpool have averaged 69 points in the last 12 seasons."

Those 12 seasons are split equally between Benitez and Gerard Houllier, who famously won the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup treble in 2001.

Benitez has averaged 72 league points in six years, peaking at 86 when they finished second last season, while Houllier averaged 66, with a best of 80.

And in comparison to other Liverpool managers, Benitez is below only the legendary duo of Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish when it comes to win ratios at the club.

Six seasons in charge saw Dalglish win 61% of his matches, Paisley 57% and Benitez 56%.

However, both Paisley (six) and Dalglish (three) won league titles while Benitez is still trying to end the club's 20-year championship drought.

The 50-year-old is a great defender of the club's history and traditions but he admits winning the Champions League, European Super Cup, FA Cup and Community Shield in his first two seasons in charge is starting to work against him.

And he feels running Manchester United a close second in the 2008/09 championship race - with a tally which in many years would have been enough to take the title - has already become a stick to beat him with.

"We made a huge mistake, as we won four titles at the start," said Benitez.

"Then people ask you for more, when in reality, in the Premier League it's assumed that at the start a coach needs time to adapt.

"(Sir Alex) Ferguson took seven years to win the Premier League."

Speculation about Liverpool's players seems to be linked to his own future but Benitez said he did not think star striker Fernando Torres would leave despite reported interest from Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester City.

"I am not aware that Torres wants to leave," said the Reds boss.

"Now he is only focusing on recovering (from a knee operation) and going to the World Cup, only then will he think about his future."

Benitez has in the past been linked to the Real Madrid job and although he played down a return to the Bernabeu, where he was a youth coach, he did admit he wanted to coach his country at some point.

"Right now I have four years left in my contract with Liverpool and I am very happy there," he said.

"But, of course, in a few years, once (Spain coach Vicente) Del Bosque ends his work I would like to be Spain coach.

"All of the Spanish coaches would like in the future to become national team manager."

Current Inter manager Jose Mourinho is widely tipped to take over at Real this summer but Benitez, who has never seen eye to eye with the Portuguese, questioned such an appointment.

"I know that Mourinho's name has been linked to coach Real Madrid," Benitez told Spanish newspaper AS.

"I don't know if Mourinho is the right person to coach Madrid.

"I am from Madrid and I like the city. In the past I have been a member of the club and it's a great club, but that is all I have to say."

Not the most credible of sources but at least it's something we can read.

About players like Gerrard and Torres being linked elsewhere, rumours are only appearing because of the poor season we have had. We hardly heard anything about them leaving after 2008/2009 while Alonso was always going to leave.

Current Inter manager Jose Mourinho is widely tipped to take over at Real this summer but Benitez, who has never seen eye to eye with the Portuguese, questioned such an appointment.

"I know that Mourinho's name has been linked to coach Real Madrid," Benitez told Spanish newspaper AS.

"I don't know if Mourinho is the right person to coach Madrid.

I don't know if Rafa Benitez is the right person to give comment about Mourinho.

He cant keep his mouth shut ,I dont think he is any position to give another manager stick ,maurinho could win the Champions League come Saturday night after doing the double at Inter this season ,i'm not suprised Benitez is not liked very much by other managers .

I don't know if Rafa Benitez is the right person to give comment about Mourinho.

Oh yeah? Why's that?

I don't know if Rafa Benitez is the right person to give comment about Mourinho.

I don't know if you are the right person to say ANYTHING about Liverpool Football Club or Rafa Benitez.

Oh yeah? Why's that?

Rafa is entitled to his opinion on JM, doesn't make it right or wrong, it's just his opinion. I'm sure JM has an opinion on Rafa, but again it is just what he thinks, not necessarily true.

did rafa say .Jose is not good enough for real madrid or something like that?
 
 No he said " I don't know if he is the right man for madrid"   == maybe he can be  or maybe not, 
   
 are we doing like the media does ,  jump into conclusions on ONE sentence

  On the other hand why other people (including  managers) can say anything on benitez and rafa cannot
 YNWA

Theres no need for Rafa to make his thoughts on JM or any other manager public, think he should concentrate more on sorting his own future out and start rebuidling our team.

Spot on Kelvo , he needs to sort this mess out he has helped get us in , its not all the yanks fault .

Spot on Kelvo , he needs to sort this mess out he has helped get us in , its not all the yanks fault .

We wouldn't be in this deeper mess without the Yanks, so in essence, it really is. All of the issues affecting us at the moment have the Yanks at the root of them.

I think We'll be alright. As long as Torres stays, we can handle it next year. This season was horrible from the get go, can't blame any one entity. It's everyone's fault!

Spot on Kelvo , he needs to sort this mess out he has helped get us in , its not all the yanks fault .

 

I don't know if Rafa Benitez is the right person to give comment about Mourinho.

Come on now Ali.  Back to the Home where all the other nice people live.
It ll soon be tea.

Got my letter yet?

Playground jealousy from benitez. Embarassing.

Nothing strange about this, I'd love to manage my country too if i was as good as Rafa!!!

If JM doesnt beat him to that job too

If JM doesnt beat him to that job too

Now come on we know the Spanish wouldn't agree with Jose as the Spanish national manager..

I once said to a Spanish girl was she Portuguese? She nearly bit my head off!! Obviously hatred between both countries.

Obviously like him in the capital of Spain...

Club and Country is totally different we both know that!!

Real are the darlings of Spain- the government saved them from the wall a decade ago... If he delivers at Madrid like we all know he will in terms of trophies, I don't think it's inconceivable. He is the best manager in world football (if he manages til Fergie's age he will be the greatest ever manager... Again, not inconceivable). Benitez manage the Spannish national side? Poor old Riera.

Madrid are one of the most glamorous sides in the world, I'm sure the cleaning lady (no disrespect) is known. No doubt he is a great manager but that still doesn't put him ahead of Rafa for the National managers job. I'm sure if a vote was made Rafa would get it hands down.


Why are you mentioning Fergie in this discussion? Surly as a LFC fan you could think of someone better.... ie Shanks/Paisley

I could say Shankly and Paisley are generally considered greater managers than Fergie in world football if you'd like? But I don't think many non-partisan neutrals would agree. While Paisley's european record of course stands up, the fact fergie has built 3/4 completely different sides (with a core of his original youth kids in all) makes it very hard to deny his overall record.

I don't know if Rafa Benitez is the right person to give comment about Mourinho.

He didn't say anything about his abilities. All he said was that he didn't think he was the right man for the job. Which in many aspects is true, for instance:
-Madrid want an attacking coach, Mourinho is not an attacking coach.
-Mourinho wants as little board intervention as possible, and he won't get that from Madrid.

etc.