Exactly, and also to note - we've come a long long way since BR has taken over. People will not want to hear that, for it seems like indirect criticism towards king Kenny - it's not, he was just unfortunate with the committee he was working with here.
Compare the pre-BR Liverpool side to the current Liverpool side. BR is the best coach we've had in a long time (dare I say better than Benitez) and being a great coach means you can spend less, as you have the ability to train young and current players to a standard they never thought possible.
Look at little Raheem. He even stated how he's has been coached to lift his head more and look for the pass opposed to just trying to beat his man. This'll make him more complete and thus mean that we will not have to pay big for those ready made players at other clubs.
The same goes for Jürgen Klopp. He's also a brilliant coach. All those players he has brought in from other clubs and the youth have ended up being world class (and sold to Bayern ). He took Dortmund from the bottom to the top on next to nothing. How much were Sturridge, Hendo, Coutinho and Sterling worth before Brendan arrived here? Now each of them would be valued at a minimum of £30m!
Interesting point about Benitez, but Benitez is still the better coach for me.
BR has been a breath of fresh air, no doubt about it, but until he makes his mark on the European scene there is no comparison really.
Rafa had us number 1 in Europe, won it once and was unfortunate not to win it a second time, and this was purely down to his mastery of tactics and meticulous preparation.
When it comes to the Prem, there's no doubt that what BR achieved last season was remarkable and if I have a criticism of Rafa it's that he was a bit too cautious at times.
In 08/09 when he let his team "off the leash", they were a stunning attacking force that swept nearly all before them, but they didn't just score goals for fun, they were also very tight at the back, and I think I'm right in saying they hold the club record for scoring 4 goals in a game the most consecutive times. We ended that season with 77 for and just 27 against, and I can't help feeling that if Rafa had been bolder earlier on in the season we would have won it that year.
In some ways, the jury is still out on BR until we know last season wasn't a one off.
Rafa has shown time and time again that when it comes to tactics, he is second to none, but he also has that innate caution that holds him back from being truly great.
I'm hoping that BR can surpass him, and so far the signs are good.
How he molds his team this season and overcomes opposition tactics set out to stifle us will tell us a lot about him.
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