Is Rafa Benitez the Special One (tm)?

Ardent

"As a manager you are important sometimes and you make mistakes, but the most important people are your staff and your players. Never call me the special one!" said Benitez.

"I am one step closer to what the other managers achieved, that's all. I have to do a lot more before I am considered on the same level.

What a humble guy, you have to admire him.

And what an achievement - to win the Champions League with, you have to admit, a pretty average Liverpool team against arguably the best club side in the world, AC Milan. After being 3 goals down at half time. And exactly one year after winning the Spanish league - a feat in itself - and UEFA Cup with Valencia.

Possibly the best football manager at this moment in time in Europe?

Big Ears

Ardent wrote:

Possibly the best football manager at this moment in time in Europe?

and a nice guy to round it all off .

~Rebel~

To be fair, he's an amazing manager in European football, just cant wait for him to get the hang of the prremiership and mould the team to what he wants a bit more. Give him another full season then expect some greatness i think..

tel922001

Have You heard what he did in germany when he wanted to look at the chelsea game and couldn't? he went into a pub full over liverpool fans and sat with them and looked at the game and stayed for fotos and the fans said he is just a normal guy , you have to respect him for what he has done and the only thing on his mind is winning cups for the club and fans not money like most others

meditraitor

He's played a big part in making a lot of people happy,, me being one of them. He is special in my Book

Dub13

He is a top bloke....just think what he could achieve when he gets good players in.

Big Nelly

Ardent wrote:

Possibly the best football manager at this moment in time in Europe?

A certain manager of Chelsea will disagree there....also you forget what Fergie has won in his time......Wenger is another one but hasn't done it on the European stage yet

There is no denying he is a good manager but you have to remember where they came in PL.....losing to Burnley......thats not the sign of the best manager in Europe is it?

el rabitos

he's definitely a special one. but you wont hear him saying it ever. unlike someone else :rolleyes:

Dub13

Another good thing about Rafa is You will not hear another mention of this trophy once next season starts, guaranteed.

jesus_thats_gre

There is no doubting his talent but lads, I am gonna puke already..

Keano_sli

Possibily the smartest signing Liverpool have made in 20 years and a Likeable guy, has given me no reason to dislike him apart from the small matter of winning a European cup with Liverpool

The Muppet

Dub13 wrote:

Another good thing about Rafa is You will not hear another mention of this trophy once next season starts, guaranteed.

Pool fans take note.

jesus_thats_gre

Pass it on to Clive Tidsley or however you spell his name

cregser

The Muppet wrote:

Pool fans take note.

No we've been on the receiving end for too long.

The Muppet wrote:

Have You heard what he did in germany when he wanted to look at the chelsea game and couldn't? he went into a pub full over liverpool fans and sat with them and looked at the game and stayed for fotos and the fans said he is just a normal guy , you have to respect him for what he has done and the only thing on his mind is winning cups for the club and fans not money like most others

I thought it was United, not Chelsea. Doesn't matter:
http://server3.uploadit.org/files/cregser-rafa_pub_lev_250.jpg
http://server3.uploadit.org/files/cregser-rafa_pub_lev2_250.jpg

The Rooster

Well I think what Benitez said is dead right.

He seems to be a very good manager and a very nice man. But he's plenty to learn still about English football and he's made plenty of mistakes, including the awful decision not to start Didi Hamann in the European Cup Final. And I know the injury situation was terrible, but after Easter that excuse didnt really hold-up (not that he ever used it as an excuse), so he has to take some of the blame for Liverpool coming a lowly fifth, behind a mediocre but efficient Everton.

....there has been the odd sign though that he could well prove to be special...

Ardent

Big Nelly wrote:

There is no denying he is a good manager but you have to remember where they came in PL.....losing to Burnley......thats not the sign of the best manager in Europe is it?

You have a point but you also have to take into consideration the players he has at his disposal - some of them are patently average or below average players - not to mention the crazy number of long term injuries to most of his better squad members this season. I think the European Cup win is all the more remarkable when you think of some of the players he won it with - Traore, Smicer, Baros, Dudek, Nunez, Biscan, Mellor.

I think this European Cup winning team will one of the first ones to be immediately dismantled and re-assembled by choice.

PHB

I think he is top quality, have been saying so all season, but we won't see his true brilliance till about two seasons time, when hes had a chance to make it his squad.
I think the real test is can he challenge for the PL