Rafa Benitez has at last delivered his explanation of
the gesture that led to such stern criticism from fellow
managers Sam Allardyce and Sir Alex Ferguson.
It was Benitez’s reaction to Liverpool’s second goal in their
4-0 win over Blackburn that prompted such consternation from his
peers.
The action looked to be nothing more than a shrug and an
innocent hand gesture but led to both Allardyce and Ferguson
condemning the Spaniard for showing both ‘arrogance’ and ‘contempt’
towards his opponents.
Sammy Lee has since claimed that Benitez was merely making a
point to his players; a version of events that the manager himself
now seems to have backed up.
"Xabi Alonso and Emiliano Insua were standing over a free kick
and I was shouting orders to them in Spanish," Benitez told the
Daily Mail
"I kept saying, ‘Play it short’ because I thought there could be
a surprise element. But Xabi just whipped it straight into the area
and when Fernando Torres headed it in, he turned round and gave me
a big grin.
"I had to laugh and I just made a sign to say, 'Okay, don't
listen to me'."
