Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez yesterday cranked up his bitter war of
words with Jose Mourinho by questioning his role in Chelsea's
emergence as a European super-power.
Benitez, who reacted tetchily during pre-season when Mourinho
suggested he needed to justify a massive summer spending spree at
Anfield, let the Stamford Bridge boss have it with both barrels,
claiming that Chelsea owed their recent success to Roman
Abramovich's wealth rather than Mourinho's wisdom.
"He said he will not talk about other teams, so maybe his memory is
playing up," Benitez said of Mourinho. "But it is about who spent
the most money in the last five years, not one.
"I would say the players are more important than the managers. If
you analyse the last five years, it's clear Abramovich has done a
fantastic job."
Though spoken with a mischievous smile, those provocative words
were chosen deliberately by Benitez to get under the skin of his
most bitter rival.
And they add fuel to what already promised to be a firecracker
showdown between the two title-chasing clubs at Anfield
tomorrow.
Mourinho loves to trumpet his two title successes in his first two
seasons at Stamford Bridge. Only last week Chelsea broke
Liverpool's record for the longest unbeaten league run on home
soil. But the Spaniard's intention to belittle Mourinho's
achievements by attributing them purely to Abramovich's billions
will have seriously wound up his Portuguese counterpart.
