Lift that gave final pointer
Sep 29 2005
By David Prentice, Liverpool Echo



LIVERPOOL got an unexpected lift on their way to becoming Champions of Europe for the fifth time.

Rafael Benitez is a meticulous manager - a coach who employs science, psychology and painstaking research in his team selections - yet on the eve of the most staggering Champions League final of modern times, he also allowed a little superstition to creep in.

The tale is related in "Rafa Benitez" - the official biography of the Anfield boss, written by sports journalist and friend Paco Lloret and published today.

Lloret writes: "It was less than 24 hours before the final. Everything was under control. After the final training session at the stadium, Rafa Benitez had returned to the Crowne Plaza Hotel and had been chatting to his Spanish friends.

"He was just saying goodnight and was waiting for one of the four hotel lifts.

"As Benitez stood there he had no idea which lift would be the first to open its doors onto the ground floor. But now he suddenly felt as if he were sitting at a table in a casino. It was if he knew which card would come up. Maybe it was one of those illogical premonitions which many of us have.



"'If this lift comes down first we'll win the final by penalties tomorrow,'" Benitez said, pointing to one of the four lifts. Seconds later, the one he had chosen opened its doors. The three he had eliminated stayed shut.

"Rafa gave a brimming smile to his surprised companions and disappeared off to the solitude of his room.

"It was as if some occult force had offered him an insight into what awaited.

"No doubt if another lift had arrived before the one he had chosen he would have responded with something along the lines of: 'Good, we won't need the penalties. We'll win the match before that.'"

The book traces Benitez's life story from his birth in Madrid, on April 16 1960, through to the culmination of last season's remarkable Champions League final.

And while Reds fans will understandably race straight to the final chapters which cover his brief Anfield career, it is the bulk of the book which shows the all-consuming attention to detail which has made Benitez the successful coach that he is.

On his arrival at Valencia he upset players by banning rice from their diet. As rice is a staple of paella, the players' favoured match-day meal, it caused dis-sent. But Benitez had discovered that some players were not digesting the food properly and it was removed.

Olives, onion and tuna fish were also removed from the players' diet, along with fizzy water - although a glass of good quality wine was allowed.

Kily Gonzalez was outraged when ice cream was banned, but Benitez was steadfast.

His attention to detail was displayed again when Valencia played Villarreal in a meaningless league match, just days before the UEFA Cup final.

Even though Villarreal is a short, 40 minute coach journey away from Valencia, Benitez insisted on halting the team coach on the way home at a hotel for dinner.

The players protested. They could be home in half an hour and eating then. But, so close to a major final, Benitez wanted them to eat properly, and ensure the single men in the team actually ate.

The players refuelled, and won the UEFA Cup.

That was his first European prize.

His most recent European crown, of course, came after the most dramatic comeback in Champions League final history.

The book gives a telling insight into what went on inside the Ataturk Stadium dressing room.

"Inside the dressing room the long faces of the players gave away the gravity of the situation," wrote Lloret. "There was a clear signal from the manager: there was still half the match to be played. He asked them to use their heads and not to be dragged down by the scoreline.

"Now Benitez prepared a substitution. He told Traore to get changed and ordered Dietmar Hamann to start warming up. However, that substitution didn't take place because of an unforseen circumstance. Steve Finnan just couldn't continue despite his desperate wish to play the second half. The doctor advised that he be withdrawn.

"Benitez made an adjustment. Now Traore got ready to play again.



"An essential tactical adjustment was made. The defence was reduced to three men and the central midfield area was strengthened.

"Support from players was essential. Someone mentioned the memorable game they had played against Olympiakos. Now Liverpool had to score three goals, just as they had against Olympiakos and given that it had happened at Anfield then why couldn't it be repeated here? Benitez's words were simple - play and score quickly. Then it would be game on and time to attempt heroic deeds."

The rest, of course, is history. But meticulous attention to detail is never far away.

Benitez's goalkeeping coach, Jose Manuel Ochotorena, asked for a video of a Milan penalty shoot-out to be delivered to the team hotel in Istanbul just hours before he left Merseyside.

The last shoot-out the Rossoneri had endured had been the 2003 Champions League final at Old Trafford - a shoot-out they won.

But, armed with a tape of Milan's successful conversions that night, Ochotorena was able to arm Jerzy Dudek with some nuggets of information which would prove priceless in a few days' time.

Benitez's own words in advance of the final also proved prophetic.

"Man for man, Milan were better," wrote Lloret, "but Liverpool had other strengths that they had to exploit, strengths which would enable them to win the match.

"Given the results they had already achieved, the players had been convinced by the manager's talk.

"They get tired, in the second half they deteriorate considerably and we can hurt them through the middle of their defence if we are able to exploit our weapons."

"This was his summary diagnosis of the weak points of Ancelotti's team."

With prophecy, superstition and fate on their side . . . how could Liverpool lose?

Thanks Autumn

Great to read !!

Liverpool : Benitez « manager of the month »
Rédaction 365 - samedi 15 novembre 2008 - 09h53



Rafael Benitez a été élu par la Premier League comme le « manager of the month » pour le mois d'octobre. Une distinction qui récompense le bon parcours de son équipe qui a remporté ses quatre matchs.


Avec quatre victoires en quatre matchs en un mois, Rafael Benitez a été élu « manager of the month » pour le mois d'octobre. Au cours de ce mois, Liverpool a mis fin à la série d'invincibilité de Chelsea à domicile (86 matchs) en allant s'imposer à Stamford Bridge. C'est la quatrième fois que le coach espagnol reçoit cette distinction depuis son arrivée en Angleterre en 2004.

plutot sympa comme récompense.

Petit pépin de santé pour Rafa à cause d'un calcul rénal. Il a été opéré cet après-midi et devrait être de retour au travail d'ici 2 à 3 jours.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N162539081215-1609.htm

Ca nous fera une raison de plus de gagner dimanche!

En espérant qu il se remette le plus vite possible!

Bon rétablissement à Rafa ! Espérons qu'il soit vite de retour et en pleine forme

Voici 2 articles dans le Liverpool Echo d'aujourd'hui.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2008/12/16/sammy-lee-it-s-business-as-usual-despite-rafa-benitez-s-illness-liverpool-fc-latest-100252-22486955/

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2008/12/16/liverpool-fc-boss-rafa-benitez-in-recovery-after-kidney-stones-operation-100252-22487279/

J'espère qu'il ira vite mieux

Foot - ANG - Benitez : pas d'offre de prolongation
Alors que son contrat à la tête des Reds expire en juin 2010, l'entraîneur de Liverpool, Rafael Benitez, a indiqué vendredi qu'il n'avait toujours pas reçu d'offre de prolongation de la part de sa direction. «Mon agent n'a pas encore reçu de document et il est un peu déçu», a confié l'Espagnol.

Benitez a entamé des négociations en novembre avec les propriétaires américains du club avec qui ses relations ont souvent été conflictuelles. La saison passée, l'un d'eux, Tom Hicks, avait même reconnu avoir souhaité s'en débarrasser avant de reculer face à la pression des supporters. (Avec AFP)

Rafa est très enthousiaste pour continuer au moins jusqu'en 2012.
Ce serait une sacré connerie de ne pas le prolonger.

Voici un article sur le sujet de Tony Barrett dans le Liverpool Echo d'aujourd'hui.

H & G

Dismay over Anfield contract - Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez
Jan 10 2009 by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo

RAFA BENITEZ has admitted there is disappointment in his camp that his long awaited new contract is still to be signed and sealed.

The Reds boss had hoped that the deal would have been completed by now but more than three months after talks first began it has still not been done.

The financial terms of the deal and length of contract have both been agreed since mid-December but Benitez is yet to find the common ground needed with owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett over his roles and responsibilities.

The ECHO understands Benitez would like to have an increased input in the way the academy is managed and also have greater control over transfer activity.

A series of talks have taken place between advisers acting on behalf of the Reds owners and Benitez's representatives but there is still some distance between their positions.

Earlier this week Benitez's agent Manolo Garcia Quillon sent documents to Hicks' and Gillett's advisers outlining his client's position.

But with Quillon still awaiting a response, Benitez has admitted for the first time since the talks began that frustration is beginning to manifest itself.

"There is still no news," said the Spaniard.

"My agent has still not received any documents so he is a little bit disappointed so we will see."

Benitez's current deal expires in less than 18 months.

Rafa de retour a l´hopital...toujours le meme pepin de santé

3 eme operation (source offal)

SAMMY HOPEFUL OF RAFA RETURN

Sammy Lee is hopeful hospital-bound Rafa Benitez will be back at Melwood in time to oversee final preparations for next week's derby double header.


The gaffer will undergo a third operation on troublesome kidney stones today, leaving his assistant to lead training.

Lee told Liverpoolfc.tv: "It's a difficult time for him because, you know Rafa Benitez - all he wants to do is be out there on the training pitch with his players. That's his forte. But he's still buoyant.

"He's going for the third operation but we're hoping it won't keep him out for too long - hopefully just a couple of days.

"All credit to Rafa for what he's put in place. His attention to detail and organisation means that, if any one of us is missing, there won't be a blip."

Benitez underwent his first operation back in December, returning to the dressing room when Bolton visited Anfield on Boxing Day.

Since then the Spaniard has watched matches from the directors' box.

Lee joked: "You certainly get a different view of things up there - but he sees things that I don't when we're both on ground level, so there's no difference there!"

Meanwhile, Lee echoed the view of Albert Riera that Liverpool's disappointment following Saturday's Stoke stalemate was a measure of how far they'd come.

He said: "That's the measure of this team at the moment - that we go away from home and get a point in the Premier League and we're disappointed. Devastated is a bit strong but the lads were bitterly disappointed.

"We go for all three points but we have to take the positives. The game didn't transpire how we would have liked - we had control and we lost it. But the positives, for me, were that we got a point and we didn't concede from the many, many set pieces that they had."

The weekend ended with Liverpool four points clear at the top following Manchester United's 3-0 win over Chelsea.

Asked whether he bought into some pundits' view that Chelsea were now out of the title race, Lee said: "A lot of pundits have said there's only one team that can win the league - and I don't buy into that, either. You can't rule teams out in January.

"We can't keep looking over our shoulders. We've got to do what we've got to do."

apparement rafa aurait un pouvoir total sur l'enveloppe budgétaire du club destinée au tranferts pour l'an prochain et voudrait aussi pouvoir controler la formation

Citation:

Liverpool: Benitez veut aussi gérer la formation Liverpool: Benitez veut aussi gérer la formationDepuis plusieurs semaines, la direction de Liverpool est en discussions avec Rafael Benitez pour prolonger le contrat du technicien espagnol. Selon le Times, les parties concernées seraient sur le point de trouver un accord mais le boss des Reds se montrerait intransigeant sur un point: son pouvoir sur le centre de formation du club de la Mersey. Benitez, qui aurait déjà obtenu un contrôle complet de l'enveloppe budgdétaire destinée aux transferts, souhaite garder un oeil avisé sur les jeunes pousses du club.

sources : sports.fr

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walk on with all your hopes in your heart! You'll never walk alone!


“The trouble with referees is that they know the rules, but they do not know the game.”