Rafa hits back at Houllier

Rafa hits back at Houllier
Benitez says 'a different team' claimed glory in Istanbul

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_6841476,00.html

Rafael Benitez says Gerard Houllier should stop trying to claim credit for Liverpool's 2005 Champions League win.

The Spaniard took over at Anfield in the summer of 2004, ending Houllier's six-year spell in charge, and his appointment paid instant dividends as he led the Reds to European glory in his very first season

Earlier this year, the Frenchman argued that he had played a decisive role in the club's triumph success because "apart from two players, they had been signed or developed under me".

But speaking exclusively to Sky Sports' Guillem Balague, Benitez dismissed his predecessor's claims, arguing that Liverpool adopted a totally different tactical and mental approach under his leadership.

He said that his signings, Xabi Alonso and Luis Garcia, made a significant difference to the squad and that the team had moved on from the one that finished fourth in the Premier League in Houllier's final season.

"The last two years of Houllier were not the best," Benitez said.

"I was in charge because they decided to change, so that is one crucial point for me too.

"But the way we arrived at the final, we had a lot of good games and there were a lot of top sides that we beat.

"Key players for us, Alonso and Luis Garcia, were not in the squad (under Houllier) and also the approach of the game changed.

"At Valencia, I tried to play higher and press higher, so you can see the tactics were different, the commitment was different and the passion of the players was different.

"It was a different team."

Well said Rafa.

Great interview with balague,and i love how he clears the alaonso & aquilani debate too.

Houllier keeps on claiming credit for 2005, because he fu**ed up in 2002.

Hamann subbed for Smicer.

Great interview with balague,and I love how he clears the alaonso & aquilani debate too.

Really good interview and you can see Rafa is baffled as to why no other manager gets criticised so much on their transfer dealings.

Also he really wanted Alves and Jovetic and with Malouda who he also talks about maybe things would be a bit different now.

Really good interview and you can see Rafa is baffled as to why no other manager gets criticised so much on their transfer dealings.

Also he really wanted Alves and Jovetic and with Malouda who he also talks about maybe things would be a bit different now.

Funny how irony works isn't it. We have Jovetic lined up ready to make the deal, then the two clowns let rafa know there isn't the funds to do the deal, he promptly goes on to score against us in the European Cup.

Funny how irony works isn't it. We have Jovetic lined up ready to make the deal, then the two clowns let rafa know there isn't the funds to do the deal, he promptly goes on to score against us in the European Cup.

I know mate. He is a cracking player and you can see Rafa excited even talking about these players.

Just imagine the sell on transfer fee if we had jovetic,alves and malouda and most of all they could of helped us achieve the 19th.

Just imagine the sell on transfer fee if we had jovetic,alves and malouda and most of all they could of helped us achieve the 19th.

If only.

On the subject of Houllier, I'm sure people will try and paint Rafa as the bad guy in this but the fact is if Gerard hadn't come out in the first place trying to claim success for the European Cup win then Rafa wouldn't have to answer questions like this.

Rafa Benitez.

A great manager in my eyes. Facht.

Love the man.

Rafa Benitez.

A great manager in my eyes. Facht.

Love the man.

If only we had of had decent owners when RAFA was here we might of seen what he was really capable of. Sadly we will probably never know as I am sure Kenny will be our manager for a few years yet and rightly so.

I will back Rafa up on this. Houllier did great things at Liverpool, - Christ he won more major trophies in one season than Rafa did in his whole tenure and for that I will always be thankful to him.

The champions league wasn't one of them however.

Can see where this thread will be heading. :

Rafa won the Champions League in 2005 - End of!

 The important thing is not necessarily who bought the players, it's whether or not we would have won the Champions League if Houllier was still in charge. The answer is that of course we wouldn't. By the time the Frenchman left, he was past his sell by date and we were goign backwards.

 On this one Rafa is right.

Its all handbags this.

Whatever happens in football the previous will always have a problem with the succesor.

If thats the case then Alf Ramsey deserves credit for Uniteds recent success for giving Giggs his debut in 1970 

Its all handbags this.

Whatever happens in football the previous will always have a problem with the succesor.

If thats the case then Alf Ramsey deserves credit for Uniteds recent success for giving Giggs his debut in 1970 

You mean Matt Busby!!

Haha, fail

As much as I love Rafa, he needs to move on.

He is too obsessed wit Liverpool. I love him but Kenny is here now and if Rafa ever wants to have a chance of managing us again, he needs to get back into a job and do well.

All he does is talk and talk about what he did here!

Can see where this thread will be heading. :

A cul-de-sac of infuriation?

As much as I love Rafa, he needs to move on.

He is too obsessed wit Liverpool. I love him but Kenny is here now and if Rafa ever wants to have a chance of managing us again, he needs to get back into a job and do well.

All he does is talk and talk about what he did here!

Maybe if everyone else stopped F***ing having a go/asking about it he would stop! He doesn't go looking for it, he's the one being asked the question.

Well said i say.

Maybe if everyone else stopped f**king having a go/asking about it he would stop! He doesn't go looking for it, he's the one being asked the question.

Well said I say.

And very well said, he's asked a question and he answers it.

And to be fair to him, he always does say it is not fair on him when they ask him about Liverpool, he always says that Kenny is the manager now and does not want to be disrespectful to him by talking about him.