[lfc-news] Anfield becoming drunk on Benitez's special brew - Post

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Liverpool Daily Post, 5 May 2005
Anfield becoming drunk on Benitez's special brew
By Andy Hunter, Daily Post

WITHOUT the self-importance or the sour grapes, Rafael Benitez is the
perfect antidote to the 'special one' - but Liverpool have themselves a
special one nonetheless.

Jose Mourinho lost not only the first semi-final of his managerial
career at a frenzied Anfield on Tuesday, but a care-fully manufactured
aura of invincibility.

With one more triumphant performance from Liverpool on May 25, he will
also lose the honour of being the only manager besides Bob Paisley to
win the UEFA Cup and European Cup in successive years.

His Iberian conqueror Benitez is within touching distance of that
remarkable feat following the unforgettable events of this week's
Champions League semi-final second leg.

Only a few months ago there was open disbelief at such an achievement
within Anfield itself. Now there is only absolute faith in the fates
that have carried Liverpool this far and will see them claim a fifth
European Cup exactly 28 years to the day of their first if they triumph
in Istanbul.

The winners mentality Benitez has infused throughout Anfield is paying
off and, though the nerve-shredding events of Tuesday, this Premier-ship
campaign and his fierce work ethic suggest otherwise, he has made the
journey to the greatest stage appear almost effortless. How Sir Alex
Ferguson must be suffering now.

The Manchester United manager made it his public intention to knock
Liverpool off their perch and delivered. Yet in just nine months Benitez
has produced as many European Cup final appearances for Liverpool as
Ferguson has in 19 years and 11 Champions League campaigns at Old Trafford.

Now he just needs to win it of course, and with a full 10 days to
prepare his squad for the Turkish showdown - the longest time he has
spent uninterrupted with his players all season - Benitez will have no
reason to fear AC Milan.

"I am delighted for Rafa, absolutely delighted," said chief executive
Rick Parry yesterday.

"He deserves it more than anyone for the hard work he has put in and the
ups and downs he has had to cope with this season. He has been through a
lot this season, but if anything he has thrived on the challenge of
everything that has happened.

"I am pleased for the players as well. They were absolutely magnificent."

Parry admits Benitez ticked every box when they were looking for the
right man to replace Gerard Houllier last year, and it says everything
about the Liverpool manager's ability to adapt that eight of Tuesday's
starting line-up were bought by his predecessor.

There was only one Benitez signing in from the start against Chelsea,
and he scored the winner. Well, he might have!

Anfield's chief executive added: "I don't think we have been surprised
in what Rafa has done because of the credentials he has.

"We knew the qualities we wanted our manager to have and he fits them all.

"We are talking about hunger, knowledge, determination, skill. He is a
top coach and has everything that you want. But above all he is a winner
and that is crucially important and that is rubbing off.

"This can be just the start of things under Rafa. We never ever viewed
his appointment as a gamble, simply because he stood to everything we
were looking for last summer.

"He has a proven track record and reputation. Winning one of the major
leagues in the world twice in the face of competition from Real Madrid
and Barcelona is no mean feat.

"But Rafa is young and hungry. He wants to take the club places and we
didn't want to bring someone in who saw Liverpool as a way of earning
his pension.

"He lives and breathes football and he is a humble, genuinely nice guy.
But someone who won't shy away from making decisions. He is definitely
in the 'Liverpool way'."

Benitez has also been hailed as the world's greatest manager by the men
he will turn into Liverpool legends with victory at the Ataturk Olympic
Stadium next month.

The magical touch that won two La Liga titles and the UEFA Cup in the
three years with Valencia has now revived the fortunes of one great
institution and the careers of several play-ers.

The rejuvenated John Arne Riise said: "Rafa is the best manager in the
world, tactically he is unbelievable.

"So many times he judges things perfectly and the way he prepares and
picks the team gives us a lot of confidence.

"I know the players want to play for him and he deserves a lot of credit
for what he has done in his first season in England.

"Everybody knows the system, what they are supposed to be doing and
where they should be. He tells us all in great detail how he wants us to
play and we just try to carry out those instructions.

"Over the whole season we have learned a lot and we can't wait for next
season now. We have every confidence that we can go to Istanbul to win
the trophy. We have beaten some great teams and we can do it again."

Mourinho may have felt he had that title under wraps before being
out-thought by Benitez in both legs of their exhausting semi-final.

But for the victorious Liverpool players there is no doubt who deserved
the spoils of victory.

Dietmar Hamann said: "It was a great triumph for the manager. To reach
the Champions League final in his first season here is very special, and
he is special, and we are looking forward to the final now."

And Sami Hyypia, again outstanding against Chelsea, added: "He's a great
manager. He's made us better as a team as well as individually better.

Tactically, he's very strong and very strict. If somebody does not do
something he likes he tells us straight away and corrects it. He's a
very demanding manager and everybody at the club wants to play for him."

Riise also paid tribute to the Liverpool fans, adding: "The atmosphere
was fantastic.

"The fans never stopped singing all night and we felt that we had to
give them something back. Now they have a final to look forward to and I
hope they enjoy it.

"Chelsea may be the best team in the league over the whole season
because they are champions, but we have been the best team over the two
legs of the semi-final, whatever Jose Mourinho says."

The atmosphere on Tuesday night has already taken its place in Anfield
folklore.

And Parry admits: "I suppose the last game is always the best, but I was
here for St Etienne in '77 and the atmosphere was better than that.

"The noise was just incessant. I thought that it would take something to
beat the atmosphere generated against Juventus, but there was never a
lull, never a silence."

Confidence, not surprisingly, is flooding through the Liverpool camp now
as they prepare for the club's sixth European Cup final.

Milan Baros said: "I have never felt an atmosphere like we all
experienced at Anfield, now we are confident of lifting the trophy
because we play well in the Champions League.

"The supporters deserved that.

"We will enjoy being in the final and we will have a couple of days off
now to let it all sink in.

"As for the goal, all I can remember is getting to Stevie's (Gerrard)
pass before Petr Cech and knocking it past him before I was flattened.

"I didn't really see whether the ball went over the line but the
linesman was right there and he gave it, that's all that matters.

"It was a great start for us. We felt we had it won after just four
minutes because the first goal was going to be so important. But there
was still a lot of hard work to do."

And Benitez, who will not be satisfied whatever the outcome on May 25,
is just the man to do it.

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