KOP News # 1077

 

Benitez: We'd have done better with FSG's backing

 

03 April 2012

Rafa Benitez has admitted that he regrets missing out on the opportunity to work with Liverpool's new owners FSG. The former Liverpool manager was speaking in a recent interview with FIFA about his time at Anfield and how hard it was to leave the club when it became clear that he could no longer work under the conditions imposed by the previous regime. Rafa said: "I think the good thing is that when you leave you can see a lot of players later on say 'Listen, I was learning something'. Imagine Carragher, he was playing as a left full-back when we came, then he became one of the best centre-backs. Why? Because we were trying to coach him in a different way. "Gerrard was scoring about ten goals then we played him right-wing or as a second striker and he was scoring more than 20 goals every year. We were trying to adapt our tactics also to the Premier League, to the English style. "People were saying: 'He was great in the Champions League but not in the Premier League' – 82 points and 86 points was twice the record in the history of the club. So we were doing well with the resources that we had. The problem was that you had to sell some players to buy players if you wanted to progress because we didn't have a big budget. "It was really difficult [leaving Liverpool] but I could see that it was impossible to continue with the people in charge. I could see that they didn't want to follow my ideas, they were just thinking about business. We were there for six years and we were improving the team and the squad and a lot of things, but one bad season and we had a lot of criticism. I could see that we would not be progressing, because we didn't have the support or the money to change things. "We were improving everything; we were in the Champions League every year, which is where you receive the big money. But for the last step, to challenge every year, you have to spend money on the squad and we were not spending the money. If you see the figures, we were spending less money every year. "I had a conversation with the people in charge and I could see that they didn't understand." Asked if he regretted leaving just before the new owners came in and if he thought he could have taken the club further under them and he replied: "Yes, obviously with the money they have spent and the squad that we had, we could have been even better. "Everything changed when we left the club, Hodgson was in charge and they decided to sign a different kind of player then six months or a year later they had to sign new players again because something was wrong." On current boss Kenny Dalglish, Rafa added: "At that time we wanted to bring in someone who could understand the history of the club and what the club means to the fans, because we didn't have it from the owners. Bringing Kenny back was a good option for us to be stronger as a club and a unit. I had to go, but I think it was fine because when they had some problems, Kenny could improve the things that they were doing. "It depends if he (Dalglish) has the support of the owners [if he can be successful]. They have spent a lot of money but can they continue spending big money? I don't know. But if you want to challenge against United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham, you have to have a very good plan and keep spending some money wisely." And finally, how does Mrs Benitez feel about his obsession with football and why is he still at home doing her nut in when he could easily find another job? "Years of experience together means she realises when I have to do it and when I can be with the family," said Rafa. "I don't sleep too much, for example. I wake up early in the morning and watch games, then after you can stay with your children. "I try to relax when I am watching a game but it is something you cannot change, you are analysing the game. You are watching what will happen and why it is happening. I'll be watching with my wife and I'll say 'goal' then two seconds later it's a goal. Because you can see the positions of the defenders, the winger may be free or the full-back goes late or something like that. "My idea is not just to find a job, because when I talk about a project it has to be a club that can match my desire to fight for trophies."