The long-running spat between Rafael Benitez and Sam Allardyce
showed no signs of ending after Liverpool's 2-1 victory over
Blackburn at Anfield.
Neither have been complimentary about each other in recent
years, stemming back to the Spaniard's first match against Bolton
in August 2004 when Sami Hyypia sustained a broken nose in the
opening minutes.
Prior to this match Allardyce claimed his opposite number had
turned Liverpool into a side scrapping for results, akin to his
former Wanderers team.
Benitez responded after the game by ironically suggesting
Barcelona - regarded as the best footballing side in the world -
were considering copying Allardyce's style.
When asked about Allardyce's claims that his side dominated long
periods, Benitez said: "It doesn't matter - we won. It is really
important (the way to play) but sometimes we cannot play football.
We try to do our talking on the pitch. If they are pleased with the
way they play under this manager it is their decision.
"They have a style and they are a team that plays this way under
this manager. We won so we they have to be thinking about whether
the style is good or not. Some people have to talk before the press
conference or after because it is more difficult for them to do a
football job.
"I think it is a model for all the managers around the world,
their style of football, his behaviour. It is the perfect model for
all the kids and I'm sure all parents will enjoy this model and
encourage their kids to be the same.
"The style of football, I think, Barcelona are thinking of
copying.''
Liverpool found themselves on the receiving end of a number of
robust challenges and had only one player booked compared to the
five of Blackburn.
Rovers could easily have also had Steven Nzonzi, who pushed
Lucas Leiva in the face, and Pascal Chimbonda, who kicked Maxi
Rodriguez in the chest, red-carded in off-the-ball incidents.
"Nzonzi was very clear, touching the face of Lucas, and the
rules are the rules,'' added Benitez. "We have had four of five
players with problems, bleeding, and Maxi with stud (marks) in his
abdomen. Interesting - but we won.''
Allardyce, obviously, saw things differently and said of his
pre-match criticism of Benitez: "It was only because Liverpool have
a go at me and because I am entitled to respond when I get
criticised by Rafa Benitez.
"If you don't understand that over the last few years you must
be deluded. Not this time but many other times I have been
criticised personally by the manager - all I said was they got six
bookings at Manchester City away so they are digging games out now
rather than the flowing football they played last year.
"We had five bookings and 25 fouls given against us which was,
for me, a wrong reflection on how we played. We haven't come here
and hung on, we've dominated the game for long periods.
"If you want to criticise us for the fouls we have given away
and the bookings we have got that is entirely up to you.''
Allardyce prickled when questioned about the behaviour of former
Liverpool striker El-Hadji Diouf - who seemed intent on winding up
the crowd - and directed his anger towards journalists in the press
conference.
"I won't answer that question because I think it is a diabolical
question,'' he said. "Diouf has always got the crowd to contend
with because of the problems he has caused himself in the past but
I don't see any real problems - he has gone out and played like
everyone else.''
The off-field row overshadowed a goalscoring return for Fernando
Torres, who marked his first start since January 13 by scoring the
winner.
Torres scored his 13th goal in 17 Premier League appearances a
minute before half-time, having seen Keith Andrews equalise from
the penalty spot after Steven Gerrard's 20th-minute opener.
Allardyce, however, felt his side should have had more from the
game.
"If we had had a goalscorer we would have won the game on
chances created,'' he added. "It is not very often you come to
Liverpool and create more chances than they did.
"We failed because we didn't have a goalscorer and they have
Torres and Gerrard who are top quality players and they get half a
chance and score.''