Former Liverpool coach Benitez accepted an exclusive interview with the media, reviewed his time at Liverpool, talked about his coaching philosophy, and made it clear that he had not yet ended his coaching career. You are 65 years old and have achie...
Former Liverpool coach Benitez accepted an exclusive interview with the media, reviewed his time at Liverpool, talked about his coaching philosophy, and made it clear that he had not yet ended his coaching career.
You are 65 years old and have achieved many achievements. The outside world calls you a "legend". Have you considered ending your coaching career?
is sometimes called a 'Legend' and feels good, but it is also complicated. It is not good for a coach to be considered retired. Someone still asks me: ‘Do you still want to coach? ’ Of course, I think, especially in England and Europe. I don't want people to think I'm over and I'm still improving.
You coached Liverpool in 2004. How is the difference between the clubs at that time compared to today?
You now see a huge stadium, every time Liverpool game, fans from all over the world come by flying, and they are willing to pay a high price for their tickets. Everything is getting bigger and bigger now. I am very happy to see the club so solid now, because there was a time when it was very difficult to reach its current status. It's very touching when people remember everything you do.
When we came here from Valencia, we had to build a lot of architecture to prepare the team for the ongoing battle for important trophys. In 2004, the club was still far from winning the league championship and had only participated in the reorganized Champions League twice. People forget this. At that time, the gap between Liverpool and Manchester United was 30 points. At that time, Manchester United was signing Rooney and Ferdinand with club record transfer fees.
A new generation of fans may have become accustomed to everything now, and they may think that Liverpool has been fighting for the Champions League or Premier League titles all the time. But there is another generation who remembers how hard-earned the achievements we have achieved in six years.
How did you keep the team competitive at the time when the budget was limited?
When I first arrived at Liverpool, my annual budget was £20 million. By the last season, the number dropped to £17 million. Other clubs are spending £100 million. We have to think: ‘How can we succeed? What can we do without the same money? ’
This is a complicated situation because there is always the idea of ‘This is Liverpool, we have history’ in mind. But Rick Parry (former Liverpool CEO) knows it's impossible for us to compete right away. Our plan is to become competitive in three years. So, in the first season, we struggled a lot in the league because we focused on the Champions League and our squad wasn't enough to handle the four-line battle.
How do you describe yourself as a "demanding coach"?
In Spain, you are just a coach working with the technical director, you can't control everything, you can't control the vision of the club. When I look back now on all the teams I have coached, I was able to do what the coach wanted to do as I wish in a supportive and respectful environment, and that was the best environment I have ever worked for.
I know I put pressure on Rick to get things done as soon as possible. They know how high I ask for and I understand how high I ask for them. I remember taking a private jet with Rick to Madrid to buy Fernando Torres, and I kept saying 'We have to sign him now, sign him right away'.
The Chairman always respects me and never says or does anything negative. When we lose, they will support us to do better next time. I realize now that it is also complicated for them to work hard to compete.
Speaking of his opponents back then, Mourinho has had new trends recently. Would you sit down with him and have a drink and talk about the classic red and blue wars of that year?
Have you seen the news about Mourinho? He is going to Benfica. We've met several times at UEFA meetings and the relationship is OK, but not like (sitting down and drinking). We never talked about those games.
After Hicks and Gillette acquired the club, the situation became very difficult. Have you considered leaving at that time?
I see the period of Hicks and Gillette as a period of time when we strive to defend everything we have established in the previous years, and it is difficult for the outside world to truly understand what happened at that time. I could have left. Manchester City and Real Madrid have both looked for me, but I promised to renew my contract with Liverpool and kept my promise.
Reviewing your coaching method, how do you evaluate your style? Why do you seem to be more respected at clubs like Valencia, Liverpool and Newcastle that require change?
Because I was a teacher, my methodology is about improving structure and improving players. We make players think and try to give them the time they need to understand the game. I always hope that the players think they can get better. If someone scored 10 goals, I would ask, ‘Why not 15? ’ It was to challenge them, some people might be upset at the time, but all those who I coached and now I am coaching themselves now realize that what I told them is right. It's like a son or daughter feels differently after becoming a father or mother.
When something is in place, the coach's influence is no longer needed. So maybe in those clubs we have to go step by step, we get more praise, and that may be true. Valencia needs to change, and so does Liverpool. If you go to a place they think ‘we’re already amazing and successful’, they’re not that easy to listen to the advice you still need to change to stay ahead.
What does Istanbul Night mean for you and your fans?
People will still talk to me about that game and start crying. I was probably at the airport and they burst into tears when they mentioned that game. They will always have this emotion. Many people say that it was the best day of their lives! I would say, ‘Be careful, your wife is next to you! ’I even talked to Rooney and he told me that he remembered watching the Istanbul final and couldn’t believe we could turn back from 0-3.
Your coaching experience at Everton is very short. How do you view that time?
Maybe I'm the right coach who came out at the wrong time. Over time, you will look at the problem from a different perspective. But I want to stay in the city, closer to my family, and I can see the potential of Everton if they have the right investment. I saw a club that wanted to improve but we couldn't spend the money we needed. I still think we could have done a great job for Everton, I had no problem with the club, but we only spent £2m.
So which side would you support in Saturday's Merseyside derby?
I spent six years at Liverpool and three months at Everton. I have a lot of good friends who love both sides...but obviously, I hope Liverpool wins (laughs). In Madrid they asked me: ‘Which is your home team? ’I came from Real Madrid youth training and coached them. But if someone asks me where I feel the most love, it will always be Liverpool.
