Rafael Benitez Discussion Thread

Napoli play Lazio at home in the 2nd leg of their Italian Cup semi-final this Wednesday with the tie level at 1-1, before taking on Fiorentina at the weekend in the race for fourth. They currently sit sixth in the league, two points behind their Tuscan rivals. It's all to play for in the cup, but if they were to lose that league game they'd be 5 points behind Fiorentina with 8 games to play, including Juve away and Lazio at home in their final two fixtures, making it a really difficult task to get fourth. A draw or a win, though, keeps them firmly in the race.

It's a crucial week for Rafa and his legacy at Napoli. Notwithstanding that they were runners up in the league the season before he joined and won the Italian cup the season prior to that league finish, I think if they were to finish fourth this season and win the Italian Cup, Rafa would be leaving them with a pretty solid record of having achieved respectable league positions and won domestic trophies in successive seasons. You could probably then say that although he never really took them to the next level he did manage the minimum required in the league whilst increasing their trophy haul. If they were to miss out on the Italian Cup or fourth, or both, then it starts to look a bit average in my opinion, as the previous manager also managed to win the Italian Cup, but pushed them further in the league and in Europe.

You seem to forget that in Italy only 3 teams play in Champions League, top 3.

Rafa wins the EL then Napoli are in the CL play offs. They will also earn more money doing so than Lazio would do for just finishing 3rd. Win the Coppa Italian too and Napoli's season would be a success. I think Rafa has his eye on the prize

You seem to forget that in Italy only 3 teams play in Champions League, top 3.

Fair enough. Didn't realise that.

Rafa wins the EL then Napoli are in the CL play offs. They will also earn more money doing so than Lazio would do for just finishing 3rd. Win the Coppa Italian too and Napoli's season would be a success. I think Rafa has his eye on the prize

Good point, and looking at the competition in the EL Napoli ought to have a good chance of winning that. Their season is sort of on a par with Fiorentina's at this stage. Who will finish better?

That's all he has to do, as it's all that matters.

As for the three years, Rafa hasn't seen the inside of a League Championship trophy for more than a decade. Today, he stands 23 (TWENTY-THREE) Points down the field with 27 points still up for grabs.

If City still fancy headhunting someone with that record, that's them out of the title race until the Sheikhs get fed up with it.

How far off of Barca were Malaga when City signed Pellegrini?

Fair enough. Didn't realise that.

Good point, and looking at the competition in the EL Napoli ought to have a good chance of winning that. Their season is sort of on a par with Fiorentina's at this stage. Who will finish better?

Napoli are having a poor season in Serie A for their standards, while Fiorentina improved alot.

I wouldn't bet on Napoli going through in EL, they face Wolfsburg.

Napoli are having a poor season in Serie A for their standards, while Fiorentina improved alot.

I wouldn't bet on Napoli going through in EL, they face Wolfsburg.

Spanish press confirm Rafa was offered new contract but decided to leave. Napoli is hi past now and has been for a while. However .. Write them off in the EL wit Rafa at helm .. No way. He will have been prepping them for this game . Win this and doesn't matter where you finish in serie a and you make more money

Napoli are having a poor season in Serie A for their standards, while Fiorentina improved alot.

I wouldn't bet on Napoli going through in EL, they face Wolfsburg.

Looking at the tables, Fiorentina finished 13 points behind Napoli last season and they're now six ahead. Napoli have probably spent more money as well. BUT they still can finish fourth, which though below their 2nd/3rd place finishes of recent seasons, isn't THAT bad in a league where several big clubs have fallen off a cliff, and one or two others occasionally get it together and surge up the league (Roma were miles off it only a couple of seasons ago, they're now 2nd. Lazio were 9th last season, they're now third). Given that fourth won't bring them CL football what will probably now define Napoli's season is how they do in the cups. Needing cup success to balance out a not particularly great, but not particularly bad, league situation reminds me of some of our own experiences under Rafa.

Looking at the tables, Fiorentina finished 13 points behind Napoli last season and they're now six ahead. Napoli have probably spent more money as well. BUT they still can finish fourth, which though below their 2nd/3rd place finishes of recent seasons, isn't THAT bad in a league where several big clubs have fallen off a cliff, and one or two others occasionally get it together and surge up the league (Roma were miles off it only a couple of seasons ago, they're now 2nd. Lazio were 9th last season, they're now third). Given that fourth won't bring them CL football what will probably now define Napoli's season is how they do in the cups. Needing cup success to balance out a not particularly great, but not particularly bad, league situation reminds me of some of our own experiences under Rafa.

The man gave us one of our best nights for a good quarter of a century and this is the continual treatment he gets?

Some Liverpool fans make me despair at times.

You seem to forget that in Italy only 3 teams play in Champions League, top 3.

For now.

The man gave us one of our best nights for a good quarter of a century and this is the continual treatment he gets?

Some Liverpool fans make me despair at times.

They do, especially the ones who don't read the posts people have written before proceeding to talk bollocks. Suppose you get that on every LFC forum though, eh?

No.

Why?

Why?

Because FSG won't appoint Rafa Benitez.

For a number of reasons.

Just got knocked out in the Cup by Lazio, i think it's a good thing FSG will never appoint him as a manager.

Thanks for the memories but he's past his best, i would rather see him manage a national team.

Just got knocked out in the Cup by Lazio, i think it's a good thing FSG will never appoint him as a manager.

Thanks for the memories but he's past his best, i would rather see him manage a national team.

Wait til he wins the Uefa and then you will have to say .. he's done it again il maestro.

What is interesting in Serie A is that Juventus were the only team to increase their wage bill from last season at 110 million (pounds) then you have Roma at 90 million, Inter Milan and Napoli at 70 million and Lazio and Fiorentina at 55 million.

Utd are the biggest spenders this year (and they have to make up the ground) at 215 million. Citeh spend 95%, Chelsea 90% and Arsenal 85% of UTD's wages. Thats not including manager, medical, technical etc. We spend 68%.

In Italy Juve are top with 110 million, Roma spend 82% of this, Inter and Napoli 65% and Lazio and Fiorentina 50%.

In Spain, Madrid spend 220 (Euro), Barcelona spend 90% of this, Atletico 32% of this and Valencia 21% of this (without manager, technical, medical etc.)

Bayern Munich dwarf the others in Germany. What does it all mean?

It seems odd when reading -LFC-'s posts to see him labelled a "hater" who has a "fixation". His posts seem very reasonably put together for me, pretty balanced really and if anything kind to our former boss. I think what we're probably seeing now from the usual worshippers is the readiness for the re-alignment of history as far as the Napoli years are concerned, particularly if they don't manage to win the Europa league this season.

It seems odd when reading -LFC-'s posts to see him labelled a "hater" who has a "fixation". His posts seem very reasonably put together for me, pretty balanced really and if anything kind to our former boss. I think what we're probably seeing now from the usual worshippers is the readiness for the re-alignment of history as far as the Napoli years are concerned, particularly if they don't manage to win the Europa league this season.

Mate I think even Rafa himself would be completely baffled at some of the stuff that's been written on here in his support. He wouldn't say, for instance, ''I beat Juventus'', when Napoli won the Supercuppa Italia in Doha. He ain't that kind of guy. He would at least give some credit to his players, and probably the supporters, too. Likewise, would he slam anyone who thought that finishing in a slightly worse off league position, though still possibly winning a cup, might represent a pretty solid effort at Napoli? Would he expect us to say ''absolute f*cking genius'' and honestly believe it if we did? I don't think so because he has more humility than that. It's almost like the Life of Brian.

I think looking sensibly at Benitez's time at Napoli, it is difficult to conclude anything other than a huge amount rests on how they go from here on in in the Europa league. If you consider where they were when he took over in the domestic league and what they've spent relative to their opponents etc, it looks unlikely that they are going to be able to reach a position where the tenure was a "success" as far as serie A is concerned. It's still possible they could claw their way up to third again I guess (they were 2nd the season before Benitez arrived) but I wouldn't be putting any money on it (they are currently sixth).

They did win the Italian cup last season, and I think if they added the Europa league to that tally this time it would take a harsh judge to say Benitez hasn't been a success, almost regardless of the league finish. If they don't go on to win it though, my guess is most people without an agenda would probably conclude that while this term hasn't been the same disaster that his Inter Milan sojourn was, it certainly couldn't be considered a resounding win either.

It was always the 'Liverpool Way' to show former managers respect, having to put the phrase in inverted commas illustrates how unfamiliar the term is in the apparently remodelled LFC.
The man loved the club and the city, he stayed until the bitter end and was ignominiously sacked off by the thieving bas**rds he had to work under while still doing his utmost for the club.
 That was not before before giving us one of the greatest nights in the history of this club.
 It isn't blind faith or hero worship but a tradition of LFC (with the exception of a certain Mr Hodgson of course).
 Disrespecting Rafa is not the Liverpool Way, needless to say if the phrase means nothing to you the above is 
 just rhetoric.

It was always the 'Liverpool Way' to show former managers respect, having to put the phrase in inverted commas illustrates how unfamiliar the term is in the apparently remodelled LFC.
The man loved the club and the city, he stayed until the bitter end and was ignominiously sacked off by the thieving bas**rds he had to work under while still doing his utmost for the club.
 That was not before before giving us one of the greatest nights in the history of this club.
 It isn't blind faith or hero worship but a tradition of LFC (with the exception of a certain Mr Hodgson of course).
  Disrespecting Rafa is not the Liverpool Way , needless to say if the phrase means nothing to you the above is 
 just rhetoric.

Totally agree. Anyone who "disrespects" former managers (Hodgson aside) ought to be ashamed of themselves. I think that also applies to current managers too, but maybe that's just me.

Just so long as we don't confuse sensibly discussing how an ex manager is doing at another club with "disrespecting" him, there'll never be a problem. 

I think some don't show him enough respect but there are many on here, Mick and -LFC-, included who just call it how they see it with Rafa.

Everyone knows how I see Benitez but I thought he might have had a bit more success with Napoli if I'm honest.

It was always the 'Liverpool Way' to show former managers respect, having to put the phrase in inverted commas illustrates how unfamiliar the term is in the apparently remodelled LFC.
The man loved the club and the city, he stayed until the bitter end and was ignominiously sacked off by the thieving bas**rds he had to work under while still doing his utmost for the club.
 That was not before before giving us one of the greatest nights in the history of this club.
 It isn't blind faith or hero worship but a tradition of LFC (with the exception of a certain Mr Hodgson of course).
 Disrespecting Rafa is not the Liverpool Way, needless to say if the phrase means nothing to you the above is 
 just rhetoric.

Stuey I was personally there, at Anfield, to witness some of the greatest nights in this club's history in 04/05. I still have the ticket stubs from Olympiakos on through Chelsea (how f*cking lucky I was to get tickets at just the right time). I remember the ''La Bamba'' music being played and the ''Rafa Benitez'' chants after each successive step on our journey to ultimate European glory. More than that, I was as pro Rafa as they came for most of his tenure and I have always respected him as a manager and as a man.

The question here is though, are we allowed to acknowledge the incredible achievements and also given an honest opinion about the rest of his tenure with us, and his time elsewhere? I think even he would have regrets about some decisions he made. Would he have signed sign Robbie Keane, Alberto Aquilani, Andrea Dossena if he had another chance? Doubt it. There are things which in his heart of hearts he would probably have done differently, even though he was working for a regime which ultimately brought the club to the brink of bankruptcy. I think there's a place for fair comment and sensible debate when it comes to any manager, and that's all people like myself are advocating for here. Yet there are some who want to stifle every single criticism, who accused you of ''hating'' the man if you so much as attempt to give an honest and considered opinion, when you really don't need to negate EVERYTHING in order to still believe he did a very good job at this club.