Surprise: Rafa Benitez has admitted his
disappointment at being overlooked for the Liverpool manager's post
following the dismissal of Kenny Dalglish in the summer
Rafa Benitez has told of his surprise that he was
not approached about the Liverpool job in the
summer.
The Spaniard, who managed the Anfield club between 2004
and 2010, was not considered for the role left vacant when Kenny
Dalglish was sacked in May despite knowing the club inside
out.
Launching a new book called ‘Champions League Dreams’,
which recalls how Liverpool challenged for European honours during
his time there, Benitez, who is currently without a club, said it
was ‘strange’ to be overlooked in favour of Brendan
Rodgers.
Talking to the Irish Independent, he said: ‘It was
strange. We know the club, the players, the Academy and we have
even more experience now.
‘The fans were positive about the idea and if you read the
book you will understand why. So it was strange not to be
approached.’
During his tenure, Liverpool regularly competed in the
Champions League and won the competition in 2005, his first season
in charge. They also reached the final in 2007 and won the FA Cup
in 2006, alongside a succession of top four league
finishes.
‘Some people were taking these great games for granted,’
he said. ‘We used to play so many important games that it seemed it
was normal and it wasn’t.’
Following a patchy start to the season, as Rodgers tries
to introduce a philosophy of attractive, attacking football, some
sections of the Liverpool support have suggested owner John W Henry
may be as bad as former American chiefs Tom Hicks and George
Gillett.
Looking for work: Benitez has been without a managerial
role for nearly two years after being sacked by Inter Milan
Benitez remembers those days only too well: ‘I was
working three years under Hicks and Gillett and it was quite
difficult, especially the last year.
‘Ian Ayre [the club’s Managing Director] said Liverpool was
close to administration and still we were performing on the pitch.
I don’t know how it us under the new owners so I can’t
compare.’
Benitez hasn’t been in managerial work since an ill-fated
spell at Inter Milan in 2010, but he says ‘it’s a question of time’
before he is on the touchline again. He did, however, refuse to
comment on how close he came to the Chelsea job after Andre
Villas-Boas was dismissed.