ImagesGetty Images; PADalian Yifang already had Marek Hamsik and Yannick Carrasco on
their playing staff when Benitez arrived halfway through the Chinese
league season, which runs from March to December, but they’ve
never finished higher than 5th in the Super League. They spent three
campaigns in the second tier between 2015 and 2017, before
finishing 11th last year on their return to the top flight.
When Newcastle failed to convince Benitez to sign a new contract
at St James’ Park, and the prospect of a takeover failed to materialise,
he moved to China on a two-and-half-year deal. Another season
muddling along under Mike Ashley just didn’t appeal any more. “I
was waiting for Newcastle until the last minute,” confesses the
manager. “But because there was no takeover and nothing was
changing, I didn’t want to stay in another survival battle.
“I said, ‘Which are the options we have at the moment?’ The top
sides in Europe weren’t available so I said, ‘OK, I have this
opportunity’. People say, ‘Oh, but the league isn’t strong’ – yes, I
know, but it’s a project, and they want to do well.”
Backed by the Wanda conglomerate, Dalian Yifang are investing
heavily in their training ground, and Benitez saw a chance to make
a difference.“I WOULDn’T HAVE STAYED WITH nEWCASTLE In
THE CHAMPIOnSHIP AnD SAID nO TO MASSIVE
OFFERS IF I WAS JUST THInKInG ABOUT MOnEY”
Above Getting into
the North East
spirit in 2016 with
his long-serving
assistant, Francisco
de Miguel Moreno
Right It didn’t take
Benitez long to be
a hero on Tyneside
“When we arrived, the club were 13th in the table, close to
relegation,” explains the 59-year-old. “Then we started winning and
were very close to the top four. Everybody was expecting things, but
the president said, ‘No, the target is to be 8th or 10th, then next year
try to do even more’.”
His first move was to sign Salomon Rondon, who’d spent last
season on loan at Newcastle before the Magpies stalled on the
finances required to make his move permanent. But Benitez is looking
longer-term, too.
“The club has something called the Wanda project,” says the
Spaniard. “They send kids to Spain – Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Celta
Vigo and Real Sociedad. The kids work with Spanish coaches, then go
back. We brought two of them back from Atletico Madrid – they’re the
future of the club.
“I brought in a technical director, and now we’re building a
structure: a co-ordinator for the youth teams and a co-ordinator for
the academy, plus a coach for the reserves, fitness coaches and
goalkeeping coaches. We have 10 people coming from Spain to teach
children between six and 10 years old, which isn’t normal in China
because they don’t play football at school. There was a time when 50
million people played ping-pong, and from 50 million you can get
some good players, for sure. Guangzhou Evergrande, Jiangsu Suning,
Shanghai SIPG and Beijing Guoan sign the best Chinese under-23
players, and so there aren’t many on the market. You have to coach
your own.
“The Spanish staff will also coach the coaches. Then in the future, if
you’re not there, they can carry on doing things in a European way.
We’re trying to build something.”
Navigating China’s sometimes-chaotic roads to reach training every
morning can be an experience. “The chauffeur arrives at 7.30am,
then we go very fast...” chuckles Benitez. “We’re changing lanes all
the time – it’s quite exciting!”
One of his biggest challenges has been the language barrier. All of
the coaches require an individual translator, and Benitez jokes that it
can be akin to a scene from a Marx Brothers film. “Chinese is a difficult
language to learn,” he says. “They say you need about five years.
Depending on how you pronounce a word, the meaning can change
completely. I’ve learned ‘ni hao’ and some other phrases, but then
you’ll say something and, no, it’s not the right phrase.
“You have to find the right translator, because he needs to
understand how to relay your ideas, he has to help with transfer
negotiations, and if you’re furious with the players, he has to be
furious, too. The good thing is that he’s always close to you, helping
you [pictured on next spread] – the bad thing is that sometimes you
turn around and he’s already there! The fourth official sometimes tells
him to sit down, as there’s too many people on the touchline. I say,
‘How else can I explain?’”“I TOOK A MASSIVE RISK, STAYIn G AT n EWCASTLE”
There were no such problems on Tyneside: Geordie was at least a
little easier to master than Mandarin. There, the issues were rather
different, although Benitez still reflects fondly on his three-and-a-bit
seasons as Newcastle manager. “I think it was quite good,” he says.
“I had finished at Real Madrid, and because of the potential, the city
and the supporters, Newcastle was a great challenge.”
However, in taking over from Steve McClaren in March 2016, he had
to somehow guide the Magpies out of the Premier League relegation
zone. “We thought, ‘The team isn’t too bad – maybe we can do it’,” he
recalls. “But when I arrived, we had 13 players out injured. Then we
were unlucky in the first few games.”
Relegation couldn’t be avoided. When Newcastle hosted Spurs on the
final day of the season, Benitez, together with his backroom staff, was
undecided about whether to remain as manager in the Championship.
“We were [already] relegated and Tottenham were playing for second
place,” he says, “but we won 5-1 with 10 men and the fans were
singing my name. That was a key point in my decision. The fans were
behind me and all the players. We decided to take a massive risk by
staying for the Championship, because it’s such a difficult league. The
main thing was to get promoted – and we won the league.”
Yet, following Newcastle’s swift return to the Premier League,
Benitez was disappointed not to receive more money with which toFourFourTwo.com The Managers 63RAFA
BEn ITEZ