Former Liverpool manager, Rafa Benitez, recently reminisced about his tenure with the club. He acknowledged that during his time as manager, he faced significant competition from rivals Chelsea and Manchester United. In a humorous twist, he even made a joke about Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher's current transfer value.
Benitez earned hero status among Liverpool fans after leading the team to their fifth European Cup victory in 2005 under dramatic circumstances. With captain Steven Gerrard and deputy Carragher leading the charge, they managed to rally back from a 3-0 deficit at half-time to level proceedings before triumphing on penalties in Istanbul.
However, reflecting on his appointment back in 2004, Benitez admitted that he felt teams like Chelsea and Manchester United had more quality players during that era. He found it challenging to compete against Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea and Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.
A witty remark about Jamie Carragher
In an interview on Stick to Football, Benitez couldn't resist making a humorous dig at former player Jamie Carragher. He jokingly stated that if Carragher were playing today, he would only be worth £20 million ($26m) in the current transfer market. This comment reduced everyone present into fits of laughter.
Former Liverpool manager, Rafa Benitez, said:
"It's not what you have spent in one year, it's what you have spent already. So Chelsea has spent £300million in the last two years - in the last year before and the year that we were there. So they were much better, much better players. So it's like when they say, "[Sir Alex] Ferguson has spent this or that."
"Because you have the two Nevilles [Gary and Phil], you have [Paul] Scholes, you have [Ryan] Giggs. These players were millions if you go to the market, so you have this advantage. If you want to buy Gerrard and Carra this time, you pay £200m ($262m).. £180m ($236m) for Gerrard and £20m ($26m) for Carragher!"
Inside track on Xabi Alonso's sale
During this wide-ranging discussion with Stick to Football hosts, Benitez also provided some insight into Xabi Alonso’s sale to Real Madrid back in 2009 - an event which left many Reds fans disappointed. When asked why Alonso was allowed to leave Anfield for Madrid despite being a fan favorite, Benitez explained that there had been plans for him to leave earlier - specifically for Arsenal - but those plans fell through after Alonso became cup-tied following an appearance for the Reds in a Champions League qualifier.
Benitez recalled, "When we went for Gareth Barry, it was because he could play in three different positions and then we needed to sell." This statement provides some insight into the strategic decisions that managers often have to make when balancing team needs and player sales.
Rafa Benitez's recent interview provided an interesting look back at his time as Liverpool manager. His humorous dig at Jamie Carragher's transfer value today, coupled with his insights on the strength of competition during his tenure and inside track on Xabi Alonso’s sale, offered fans a unique perspective on some of the challenges he faced while managing one of England's most successful football clubs.
