The Sunday Times May 22, 2022 9three, had no specialist defender on
that flank so Benítez had to react by
putting Steven Gerrard at right wing-
back. “He was making the right
decisions, but I think we did too.”
Benítez is Ancelotti’s age (62) and
has similar experience and tactical
nous to offer. He’s ready to work
again, and has been watching football
voraciously, always looking to
discover something new.
Everton? The full story is for
another day. But Everton sacked him
when 16th (their league position now)
and financial constraints and fan
negativity made his job difficult. Has
his spell in blue affected his
connection with Liverpool fans?
“No,” he beams, and judging by the
smiles and waves he exchanges with
people driving by, when lunch is over
and we’re outside, he is right.ON TV ON SATURDAY
Liverpool v Real Madrid
6pm BT Sport 1, Kick-off 8pm‘Inside I have the
same emotions as
Jürgen Klopp
but he is more
demonstrative’Rafa Benítez knows that he is not like
Jürgen Klopp and, also, that they are
not so different. He admires Klopp’s
connection with supporters yet he
has it too, just expressed in his more
restrained and idiosyncratic way.
Fans of Liverpool, Newcastle
United, Valencia and Napoli knew his
mentality — “you fight for your club,
you fight for your people” — but
when it comes to bear hugs, fist
pumps and charging on to the pitch,
Benítez has never been that guy.
“I am quite pragmatic and not
very, I would say, agitated — but I am
emotional inside and I am proud to
see players achieving things,” he says.
“Klopp is more emotional and
extrovert and you can see all these
things in him. I would say that inside I
have the same emotions but he is
more demonstrative — and it is good
for the fans. They see him and think,
‘Wow, he has passion.’”
The contrast is in their natures but
also involves nurture. Benítez thinks
back to his youth as a Real Madrid
academy player. His teams won every
year, won every game practically.
There was one season where “we
scored 173 and conceded 26 or
something”. Victories were as
everyday as breakfasts, “So you can’t
be celebrating, because it was a lack
of respect to your opponents: I can
say it is my football upbringing.”
We’re in an Italian restaurant in
West Kirby, the gorgeous corner of
the Wirral that has been home to the
Benítez family since Rafa left Valencia
to manage Liverpool in 2004, but
true to the man’s quirky nature he is a
Spaniard who doesn’t much like
sunshine, so we sit indoors despite
the summer rays and inviting tables
on the terrace.
Under discussion is next
Saturday’s rendezvous, in Paris,
between Liverpool and Real Madrid,
and Klopp’s clash with Carlo
Ancelotti — who Benítez took on
twice in Champions League finals.
The first, of course, was Istanbul and
the fascination with that miracle
never fades. Only last week, an Italian
television crew was in town to
interview him about the comeback
from 3-0 down to beat Ancelotti’s AC
Milan on penalties and the team
sheet from that 2005 game remains
jaw-dropping.
In Milan’s XI: Cafu, Nesta, Maldini,
Pirlo, Kaká, Shevchenko, Seedorf,
Stam. On the pitch for Liverpool:
Finnan, Baros, Riise, Djibril Cissé,
Djimi Traoré. Benítez acknowledges
it will remain his “best ever” moment
“in terms of emotion”.
The Liverpool of 2022 are far from
the underdogs of 17 years ago. His
budget to rebuild with was just
£20 million whereas the modern club
has “invested really well. Good
players. If you are competing for the
quadruple your squad is very strong.
“Liverpool can compete against
Manchester City, who have spent
massive money, or Chelsea, Real
Madrid and Barcelona. They can
compete and win.” Does Klopp have
the best team in the world? “If not the
best, then definitely one of the top
two or three in Europe.”
The challenge is overcoming that
Madrileno culture Benítez described
growing up with, where conquering
is mundane, through which 13
European Cups have been accrued.
“The Real Madrid mentality is to
win every single game. Every trophy.
They manage really well the
pressure,” he says. At points,
Ancelotti’s side have ridden their
luck but are in the final, he says,
“Because they are doing something
right — they have the mentality to do
it.”
However, Benítez sees advantagesTHE RAFA REPORT
He’s coached
Liverpool and
Real Madrid,
so if you want the inside track on the
Champions League final, then read...
Liverpool can exploit. “They present
a different challenge to Real Madrid.
They are different to Paris Saint-
Germain, Atletico Madrid,
Manchester City or Levante or
whoever. The team Real Madrid had
big problems with were Chelsea [in
the quarter-finals]. Why is that?
Because of the intensity. Liverpool
play with [similar] intensity.”
The key battleground will be on
the flank where Mo Salah and Trent
Alexander-Arnold face Ferland
Mendy and Vinícius Jr. “Liverpool’s
strength in general, apart from the
overall quality of their players, is
their counterattack,” he says. “Their
full backs are always high and one of
the main threats in assists.
“If you’re on the other team and
see Alexander-Arnold coming, and
Salah goes inside, what can you do as
a full back? Your centre back has to
deal with Firmino or whoever is in
the centre. It’s very difficult to defend
that situation. It’s a key issue.
“Vinícius doesn’t have the stamina
to go forwards and back for 90
minutes. But... if Vinícius doesn’t go
with [Alexander-Arnold] and Real
Madrid pinch the ball, who is going to
go with him? How will [Liverpool]
solve this problem? The other issue is
who will take on Liverpool’s holdingmidfielder? [Karim] Benzema will be
working but he won’t be doing that.”
The game may depend on how
well Real withstand Liverpool’s
pressing. “If [Liverpool] cannot gain
possession high up the pitch, they
can be exposed because Vinícius is
always a threat,” he says. “Benzema
has very clever movements in
between and linking play — in the
same way Tottenham use Harry Kane
when he drops off and uses Son
[Heung-min]. So it’s important when
Liverpool press they regain the ball.”
What is it like managing against
Ancelotti [who gained revenge for
2005 when AC Milan defeated
Benítez’s Liverpool in the 2007
final]? “When you have top-class
players, they can do the job because
they have an understanding due to so
many years of playing together.
“Sometimes it’s just a case of
managing them. It’s not about tactics
or intensity, it’s about giving them
confidence.. .” Benítez says,
describing Ancelotti’s knack for
getting the best out of galacticos.
But he also talks about Ancelotti’s
smart way of reading the game,
applying tactical tweaks and making
good substitutions. “Experience has
given you the ability to make the right
decisions more times,” he says. “You
will make mistakes as a manager:
team selection, game plan,
substitutions, but experience has
given you the capability of analysis to
make the right decisions.”
This takes him back to Istanbul
and the curveball Ancelotti threw his
way late in the final, by sending
Serginho on to play as a left winger.
Liverpool, having gone to a backWHEN GIANTS
COLLIDE
Breaking down Liverpool and
Real by European honours,
PAGE 23Jonathan Northcroft