I can't forget the fans and the success. Liverpool is my home... but now I have to beat them!
By MATT BARLOW
PUBLISHED: 22:10 GMT, 18 April 2013 | UPDATED: 22:39 GMT, 18 April 2013
Rafa Benitez has not made a habit of going back. He has never taken a team back to Valencia, where he won two Spanish titles, and he has yet to return to Inter Milan but on Sunday he will take Chelsea to Liverpool
Rafa’s return will be a love-in to test his emotional strength and his ability to remain inside a professional shell. The Kop will sing his name and familiar faces will trigger a cascade of memories from six successful years at Anfield.
The date sprang out as soon as he studied the schedule of fixtures after accepting the interim job at Stamford Bridge.
‘A special week,’ he acknowledged, the week of his 53rd birthday, the 24th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, the first since the truth was unveiled, and his first return to a club where he remains a hero.
He won the Champions League and the FA Cup and won hearts with his readiness to scrap: he tackled Sir Alex Ferguson and Everton; he even waded into the political dispute between Liverpool’s co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
And, of course, he sparred with Jose Mourinho during an unfeasible series of games against Chelsea, a team storming the established powers to win their first title in half a century while trying to prise away his captain Steven Gerrard.
Instant hit: Benitez delivered a Champions League win in his first season in charge at Anfield
Nearly three years after leaving Anfield, Benitez goes back with Chelsea, determined to secure three points and stay on track for a top-three finish.
Has going back ever been more complicated? ‘I will try to do the best for my team and that is Chelsea,’ said Benitez. ‘I am a professional and that is what I have to do. I cannot forget the time I spent there and the feeling, the atmosphere, the success, the link with the fans and the city — it is my home — but I will try to win. That is what I have to do.
‘This will be quite emotional but I have to concentrate. It will not be easy when you see so many friends around but I will try to concentrate on the game. The players have to believe I can manage the situation and give them help if they need it. Normally, I am not too emotional but now I’m getting older it happens sometimes.’
Enemy: Benitez built up a rivalry with then Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho
Benitez did not plan to fall in love with Liverpool when he arrived in 2004 but it happened quickly, helped by winning the European Cup in his first season. ‘The people are good people,’ said Benitez.
‘They are workers, they are fighters and they are loyal. When you have this relationship and you are there every day and you know more and more people, it is even better.
‘We came from Spain into a different environment and everyone was really nice. There was a great atmosphere at every game and we were doing well. We finished fifth in the league but everything was going well in the other competitions and everybody was enjoying themselves.
‘For the first time in 21 years we won the Champions League, which was massive. Then the year after it was the FA Cup, the Community Shield and the Super Cup. There were so many trophies and another Champions League final. Liverpool needed to bring back the pride of the fans and that was the situation.’
Other things dropped into place with his wife Montse and daughters Claudia and Agata, who have set up home on the Wirral and launched the Montse Benitez Foundation, which supports several local charities, including the Hillsborough Families Group.
Dubious: Luis Garcia's infamous goal that saw Liverpool past Chelsea in the 2005 Champions League semis
Special Anfield nights: Liverpool earned a reputation as one of Europe's top teams under Bentiez
He improved his English by reading the lyrics of his Beatles albums, a trace of Scouse distorts his Spanish accent every so often and he returned to Merseyside when his move to Inter Milan went awry in December 2010. ‘When we went to Italy, we had to decide whether to move the family or not,’ said Benitez. ‘In the end, we moved together but when we came back you could see the smiles on their faces, so that was enough. They have all their friends here and the little one thinks she is from Liverpool because she has been there all her life.’
It is the strength of this bond which has made his move to Chelsea challenging, although he did not hesitate when he took a phone call in his hotel room last November, as he prepared for a seminar he was to give in Abu Dhabi.
His credentials to succeed Roberto di Matteo were strong, but separating his past and present lives and his personal and professional lives has not always proved easy.
Target: Benitez had to fight off interest from Chelsea for Steven Gerrard
Silverware: Benitez and Gerrard with the FA Cup in 2006 after beating West Ham in the final
At the heart of this lies the rivalry of circumstance which erupted between Chelsea and Liverpool. During the six years Benitez was at Anfield, the teams met 26 times. For the first 16, Mourinho was on the opposite bench.
Two big clubs were chasing the same big trophies under the leadership of two ambitious managers, new to English football.
‘When you are winning and go to finals, you want to win the finals,’ said Benitez. ‘You will defend your club and defend your team. This is the way and this is why the rivalry was so strong at this time.
‘We played in the Carling Cup final, we played in the Champions League, we played in the Premier League and, after, we played in the FA Cup and in the Community Shield. We were in tough games like the Champions League every year and the rivalry was growing and growing but this is part of the game. It was something you couldn’t change. We were always playing against Chelsea. That was the way.’
Legendary: Liverpool fans on the Kop display flags of Rafael Benitez and Bob Paisley
It was Mourinho who lit the fuse in Cardiff after winning the Carling Cup, in 2005, his first trophy. He put a finger to his lips to silence Liverpool fans and an arm around Gerrard’s shoulder, fuelling stories of the Liverpool skipper’s imminent transfer to Chelsea.
For Benitez, the key details of this game are fresh. ‘We were winning 1-0 from the first minute and we conceded in the 79th minute with an own goal by Gerrard,’ he said. ‘It was a goal which came from our corner, we should have played it short but we played long.
‘Petr Cech caught the ball, there was a counter-attack, Didi Hamann made a foul and from the free-kick they scored. After extra time they won and then the fans and the reaction of Mourinho created a little bit more rivalry.’
Two months later the teams met in the semi-final of the Champions League, a competition which meant so much for both clubs for different reasons. The first leg was goalless at Stamford Bridge and the return at Anfield was settled by Luis Garcia and a goal Mourinho called the ‘ghost goal’.
Happy memories: Benitez built up a special bond with the Liverpool fans
Benitez said: ‘It was a great atmosphere and a great game to watch. Chelsea were a very, very good team and, for us, we had to do everything.
‘It is very simple, you can argue about the goal but you have to remember the situation was a penalty and a red card or a goal, and it was a goal. So I said fine, it’s a goal.’
A warm relationship between the managers quickly cooled. ‘We were rivals,’ said Benitez. ‘After these games it was not the same, especially after the Carling Cup final. It changed things.
‘When you are the manager, you want to win. At this time, Liverpool were my team and we wanted to win. Chelsea wanted to win too.’ What lingers for Chelsea fans — and has made it hard for them to embrace their latest manager — are some of the comments attributed to Benitez during this period.
Opposition: Benitez has been met with strong protests from Chelsea fans
Unpopular: Benitez's Liverpool links made him a hard boss for Chelsea fans to accept
Many of them, including those about never wanting to manage Chelsea or claiming they were only successful because of Roman Abramovich, have been proved to be false; works of mischief by a blogger in the Czech Republic.
‘I didn’t want to keep coming out denying every single comment,’ said Benitez, but he holds up his hands to the quote about ‘plastic flags’ which struck a nerve between the first two Champions League games.
‘Our fans don’t need plastic flags,’ he said, in reference to flags laid out on seats at Stamford Bridge for fans to wave during the first leg. It is a remark still cherished by Liverpool supporters. ‘I was just trying to encourage our fans, that’s all,’ said Benitez.
‘You try to create a good environment and if you remember in the Champions League semi-final, there was massive support from our fans for our players. It had to be like this.
‘If you have a chance, now with Chelsea, you would try to do the same, for everyone, for the team. I’ve tried to bring everyone together here, supporting the team. I did the same there and I will do the same if I have to go to another team.
‘Everyone has to have the same targets and the fans are very important for every team, for the motivation of the players. It’s the same in every club. If the fans are behind your players, it’s much better.’
Out: Rafael Benitez saw Chelsea beaten in the FA Cup semi-finals by Manchester City on Sunday
These are not words directed at the Chelsea fans who have made his life uncomfortable but they are relevant at a time when the club are fighting to get back into the Champions League.
He made this point after winning at Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fifth round and some of the hostility has eased. Victory at Fulham on Wednesday moved Chelsea into the top three of the Barclays Premier League.
Form has improved despite the FA Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester City and Fernando Torres, also making a return to Liverpool but unlikely to be received with such affection, looks more dangerous than at any time since his transfer.
‘He was one of the best,’ said Benitez, reflecting on the time he brought Torres to England. ‘I don’t like to say the best. There’s always someone else doing well and you can’t say “He’s the best” but he was one of the best, scoring a lot of goals.
‘He had the energy, the pace and movement you were looking for as a striker and you can see it’s still there, you can see in the last few games.
‘When we arrived at Chelsea he had some good games but now he’s scored some goals and the movement and understanding is much better. It is down to confidence and his work with the fitness coach in the gym and focus on his performance.’
For Benitez, there are 15 points to play for, starting at Anfield. It will not destroy his status in Liverpool if he takes three back to Stamford Bridge, and it will not harm his reputation among Chelsea supporters.
By MATT BARLOW
PUBLISHED: 22:10 GMT, 18 April 2013 | UPDATED: 22:39 GMT, 18 April 2013
Rafa Benitez has not made a habit of going back. He has never taken a team back to Valencia, where he won two Spanish titles, and he has yet to return to Inter Milan but on Sunday he will take Chelsea to Liverpool
Rafa’s return will be a love-in to test his emotional strength and his ability to remain inside a professional shell. The Kop will sing his name and familiar faces will trigger a cascade of memories from six successful years at Anfield.
The date sprang out as soon as he studied the schedule of fixtures after accepting the interim job at Stamford Bridge.
‘A special week,’ he acknowledged, the week of his 53rd birthday, the 24th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, the first since the truth was unveiled, and his first return to a club where he remains a hero.
He won the Champions League and the FA Cup and won hearts with his readiness to scrap: he tackled Sir Alex Ferguson and Everton; he even waded into the political dispute between Liverpool’s co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
And, of course, he sparred with Jose Mourinho during an unfeasible series of games against Chelsea, a team storming the established powers to win their first title in half a century while trying to prise away his captain Steven Gerrard.
Instant hit: Benitez delivered a Champions League win in his first season in charge at Anfield
Nearly three years after leaving Anfield, Benitez goes back with Chelsea, determined to secure three points and stay on track for a top-three finish.
Has going back ever been more complicated? ‘I will try to do the best for my team and that is Chelsea,’ said Benitez. ‘I am a professional and that is what I have to do. I cannot forget the time I spent there and the feeling, the atmosphere, the success, the link with the fans and the city — it is my home — but I will try to win. That is what I have to do.
‘This will be quite emotional but I have to concentrate. It will not be easy when you see so many friends around but I will try to concentrate on the game. The players have to believe I can manage the situation and give them help if they need it. Normally, I am not too emotional but now I’m getting older it happens sometimes.’
Enemy: Benitez built up a rivalry with then Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho
Benitez did not plan to fall in love with Liverpool when he arrived in 2004 but it happened quickly, helped by winning the European Cup in his first season. ‘The people are good people,’ said Benitez.
‘They are workers, they are fighters and they are loyal. When you have this relationship and you are there every day and you know more and more people, it is even better.
‘We came from Spain into a different environment and everyone was really nice. There was a great atmosphere at every game and we were doing well. We finished fifth in the league but everything was going well in the other competitions and everybody was enjoying themselves.
‘For the first time in 21 years we won the Champions League, which was massive. Then the year after it was the FA Cup, the Community Shield and the Super Cup. There were so many trophies and another Champions League final. Liverpool needed to bring back the pride of the fans and that was the situation.’
Other things dropped into place with his wife Montse and daughters Claudia and Agata, who have set up home on the Wirral and launched the Montse Benitez Foundation, which supports several local charities, including the Hillsborough Families Group.
Dubious: Luis Garcia's infamous goal that saw Liverpool past Chelsea in the 2005 Champions League semis
Special Anfield nights: Liverpool earned a reputation as one of Europe's top teams under Bentiez
He improved his English by reading the lyrics of his Beatles albums, a trace of Scouse distorts his Spanish accent every so often and he returned to Merseyside when his move to Inter Milan went awry in December 2010. ‘When we went to Italy, we had to decide whether to move the family or not,’ said Benitez. ‘In the end, we moved together but when we came back you could see the smiles on their faces, so that was enough. They have all their friends here and the little one thinks she is from Liverpool because she has been there all her life.’
It is the strength of this bond which has made his move to Chelsea challenging, although he did not hesitate when he took a phone call in his hotel room last November, as he prepared for a seminar he was to give in Abu Dhabi.
His credentials to succeed Roberto di Matteo were strong, but separating his past and present lives and his personal and professional lives has not always proved easy.
Target: Benitez had to fight off interest from Chelsea for Steven Gerrard
Silverware: Benitez and Gerrard with the FA Cup in 2006 after beating West Ham in the final
At the heart of this lies the rivalry of circumstance which erupted between Chelsea and Liverpool. During the six years Benitez was at Anfield, the teams met 26 times. For the first 16, Mourinho was on the opposite bench.
Two big clubs were chasing the same big trophies under the leadership of two ambitious managers, new to English football.
‘When you are winning and go to finals, you want to win the finals,’ said Benitez. ‘You will defend your club and defend your team. This is the way and this is why the rivalry was so strong at this time.
‘We played in the Carling Cup final, we played in the Champions League, we played in the Premier League and, after, we played in the FA Cup and in the Community Shield. We were in tough games like the Champions League every year and the rivalry was growing and growing but this is part of the game. It was something you couldn’t change. We were always playing against Chelsea. That was the way.’
Legendary: Liverpool fans on the Kop display flags of Rafael Benitez and Bob Paisley
It was Mourinho who lit the fuse in Cardiff after winning the Carling Cup, in 2005, his first trophy. He put a finger to his lips to silence Liverpool fans and an arm around Gerrard’s shoulder, fuelling stories of the Liverpool skipper’s imminent transfer to Chelsea.
For Benitez, the key details of this game are fresh. ‘We were winning 1-0 from the first minute and we conceded in the 79th minute with an own goal by Gerrard,’ he said. ‘It was a goal which came from our corner, we should have played it short but we played long.
‘Petr Cech caught the ball, there was a counter-attack, Didi Hamann made a foul and from the free-kick they scored. After extra time they won and then the fans and the reaction of Mourinho created a little bit more rivalry.’
Two months later the teams met in the semi-final of the Champions League, a competition which meant so much for both clubs for different reasons. The first leg was goalless at Stamford Bridge and the return at Anfield was settled by Luis Garcia and a goal Mourinho called the ‘ghost goal’.
Happy memories: Benitez built up a special bond with the Liverpool fans
Benitez said: ‘It was a great atmosphere and a great game to watch. Chelsea were a very, very good team and, for us, we had to do everything.
‘It is very simple, you can argue about the goal but you have to remember the situation was a penalty and a red card or a goal, and it was a goal. So I said fine, it’s a goal.’
A warm relationship between the managers quickly cooled. ‘We were rivals,’ said Benitez. ‘After these games it was not the same, especially after the Carling Cup final. It changed things.
‘When you are the manager, you want to win. At this time, Liverpool were my team and we wanted to win. Chelsea wanted to win too.’ What lingers for Chelsea fans — and has made it hard for them to embrace their latest manager — are some of the comments attributed to Benitez during this period.
Opposition: Benitez has been met with strong protests from Chelsea fans
Unpopular: Benitez's Liverpool links made him a hard boss for Chelsea fans to accept
Many of them, including those about never wanting to manage Chelsea or claiming they were only successful because of Roman Abramovich, have been proved to be false; works of mischief by a blogger in the Czech Republic.
‘I didn’t want to keep coming out denying every single comment,’ said Benitez, but he holds up his hands to the quote about ‘plastic flags’ which struck a nerve between the first two Champions League games.
‘Our fans don’t need plastic flags,’ he said, in reference to flags laid out on seats at Stamford Bridge for fans to wave during the first leg. It is a remark still cherished by Liverpool supporters. ‘I was just trying to encourage our fans, that’s all,’ said Benitez.
‘You try to create a good environment and if you remember in the Champions League semi-final, there was massive support from our fans for our players. It had to be like this.
‘If you have a chance, now with Chelsea, you would try to do the same, for everyone, for the team. I’ve tried to bring everyone together here, supporting the team. I did the same there and I will do the same if I have to go to another team.
‘Everyone has to have the same targets and the fans are very important for every team, for the motivation of the players. It’s the same in every club. If the fans are behind your players, it’s much better.’
Out: Rafael Benitez saw Chelsea beaten in the FA Cup semi-finals by Manchester City on Sunday
These are not words directed at the Chelsea fans who have made his life uncomfortable but they are relevant at a time when the club are fighting to get back into the Champions League.
He made this point after winning at Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fifth round and some of the hostility has eased. Victory at Fulham on Wednesday moved Chelsea into the top three of the Barclays Premier League.
Form has improved despite the FA Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester City and Fernando Torres, also making a return to Liverpool but unlikely to be received with such affection, looks more dangerous than at any time since his transfer.
‘He was one of the best,’ said Benitez, reflecting on the time he brought Torres to England. ‘I don’t like to say the best. There’s always someone else doing well and you can’t say “He’s the best” but he was one of the best, scoring a lot of goals.
‘He had the energy, the pace and movement you were looking for as a striker and you can see it’s still there, you can see in the last few games.
‘When we arrived at Chelsea he had some good games but now he’s scored some goals and the movement and understanding is much better. It is down to confidence and his work with the fitness coach in the gym and focus on his performance.’
For Benitez, there are 15 points to play for, starting at Anfield. It will not destroy his status in Liverpool if he takes three back to Stamford Bridge, and it will not harm his reputation among Chelsea supporters.
