Competitive? Rafa Benitez (left) has claimed his
haul of four trophies - including one Community Shield and
one UEFA Super Cup - at Liverpool is enough
Rafa Benitez has defended his record at
Liverpool as his future as Reds
manager continues to be the subject of
speculation.
The Spaniard has been linked with a move away from Anfield with
Inter Milan as a possible destination should Jose Mourinho move on
after tonight's Champions League final.
Benitez insists he is happy on Merseyside but he has been the
subject of increasing criticism following a season where they
finished seventh in the Barclays Premier League.
However, he defended his tenure and told the Daily Mirror:
'There is this legend that Liverpool hasn't won many trophies, that
we have failed in that aspect.
'Well, Chelsea and Manchester United have won 10 trophies in the
six years I've been in Liverpool; Arsenal, Spurs and
Portsmouth one.
'Liverpool? Four trophies and we have played in three finals.
Liverpool have been competitive.
'Does Liverpool have to win the league, as everybody demands,
every year?'
The former Valencia manager also feels he has not had as much
control as he would have liked.
'Does the manager have absolute power in England?' he went on.
'No, it depends on a budget and on the executive director that
negotiates the signings of players.
Pricey: Benitez says Liverpool cannot afford the
likes of Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov (left) and Chelsea's
Salomon Kalou (right) for the Anfield bench
'And it depends on the money you have and the
intelligence with which you operate in the market
place.
'Look at the wages picked up by the players on Chelsea or
Manchester United's substitutes' bench: (John) Obi Mikel, (Michael)
Owen, (Salomon) Kalou, (Dimitar) Berbatov, (Michael) Carrick could
be on £4million a year.
'When Portsmouth offered Peter Crouch more money than we were
paying him and promised him a starting place, it became very
complicated for us to keep hold of him. The arrival of Fernando
Torres meant he couldn't play as often at Liverpool.'
Benitez also claimed to have made money for the club. 'Some
people say I have spent £280m.
'But we have spent £220m on players and generated £160m in
player sales. That is the equivalent of a £60m net spend over six
years: in other words, £10m spent per year.
'Deduct from that figure the £120m revenue from the Champions
League success and qualification over that period, and we have in
fact generated an additional £60m benefits for the
club.'
