[lfc-news] Inside the mind of Rafa Benitez - Official Site

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Official LFC Website, 7 May 2005
INSIDE THE MIND OF RAFAEL BENITEZ
Paul Rogers

Rafael Benitez on drinking coke on the Albert Dock, playing in Istanbul,
challenging for the title, Steven Gerrard, rumours about Real Madrid and
what they're saying in the internet chatrooms...

Rafa on Spain's reaction to Liverpool's Champions League march:

"I had 20 Spanish friends who came to the game against Chelsea and they
were delighted with the atmosphere. I read the Spanish newspapers and
saw the talk in the Spanish chat-rooms on the internet. People were
writing about what an amazing occasion it was, one they would never forget."

Rafa on the amazing atmosphere inside Anfield on Tuesday night:

"When I was coach of Valencia, we played Celtic in the UEFA Cup and the
atmosphere was great but this was even better. I will never forget this
game. It was good on television but when you are in the ground, hearing
it, it's fantastic."

Rafa on that Luis Garcia goal:

"My secretary, Sheila, was right in line with the shot and she says it
was a goal. That's good enough for me."

Rafa on how he celebrated the win over Chelsea:

"I didn't get much sleep on Tuesday night. I went for a drink with some
friends and supporters after the match. We were in the Pan American Bar
on the Albert Dock. I was there until 2am, but I was drinking coke. It
was a great night."

Rafa on tiresome reports linking him with a return to Real Madrid:

"Liverpool fans can rest assured, I am happy here and don't want to put
the club under pressure. Mourinho has his five more years [on a new
Chelsea contract] and good for him, but I am not thinking about my
future, just the game against Arsenal."

Rafa on Liverpool's Premiership form:

"The statistics after Champions League games are not good enough. The
Premiership has been a disappointment. To lose 10 games away is not
normal. We need to improve away from home next season. I am not angry. I
am hungry! I want to win the final of the Champions League, but I also
want to be fighting for first position in the Premiership. I am not
happy with the position. We need to change things in the summer, this is
when youcan controlthe situation.

"It's been more difficult for me here coming to a new country and a new
club with a new language, so it makes me proud to have reached two
finals in our first season. At Valencia we won the title and the UEFA
Cup, but it was different. It will feel better if we win the Champions
League here. I've been working this year to reach the top four and build
a team for the future, but now we have reached two finals. My
frustration is with the league results.

"We know anything can happen in one game. You can play a match with
passion and good tactics, but over a nine month period you need more
than this to be successful. That's why the money is important. When I
spoke to the chairman after the game he was as happy as all of us. If we
do the right things during the summer, I know we will fight a lot better
for the Premiership. I'm not going to say we will win the title next
season, but I will say we'll be a lot closer."

Rafa on why he won't be swapping Gerrard for Guti:

"Guti is a fantastic player but we are not interested in him. Stevie's
happy. He feels Liverpool in his heart and he wants to win the Champions
League. When you talk about players, they see we're are on the way up.
Players like Steve Gerrard can see the difference and know where we are
going in the future. In Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard we have the spine
of a team for many years. This win is important for him and the club."

Rafa on what reaching the Champions League really means:

"The final means much more than the money. A player will go 'OK,
Liverpool are in the final of the Champions League, they are a big club'
and he will want to come here. The most important thing above everything
else is we've recuperated the prestige of the club. Maybe people are
seeing Liverpool can rule Europe again.

"We can attract players in England, but maybe the biggestimpact is in
Europe where people will say Liverpool are at the top again. That's
important. The result is significant for many others reasons, including
the sponsorship situation and the signing of players. This will make it
easier for us. Maybe I will now have more money, certainly more than a
week ago. This time last week we knew if we finished fifth and lost to
Chelsea, we'd have less money."

Rafa on media praise about his own role in Liverpool's season:

"It is not just me. It is about working with my staff. We analyse
opponents. We see the videos. We had three days to prepare for the
Chelsea game. We will be better prepared for the final because we will
have 10 days to prepare. But even if you prepare everything, the detail
is not important if Eidur Gudjohnsen scores in the last minute."

Rafa on the Liverpool Rock, Jamie Carragher:

"Jamie is the best. He is having a fantastic season. He has the spirit
and passion that a player from Liverpool needs to have."

Rafa on learning his trade:

"I am a worker. I have worked in a lot of towns, Extremadura, Valencia,
Madrid. I spent time in Italy, learning. I went to Milanello [AC's
retreat] three times, watching Fabio Capello. I watched Marcelo Lippi at
Juventus and Claudio Ranieri at Fiorentina."

Rafa on why he only has fond memories of Istanbul ?

"I won 3-0 at Besiktas with Valencia."

Rafa on his approach to tactics:

"Sometimes, I decide on a defensive system because it will be better.
But I like to score a lot and not concede. It is a balance. In my last
season at Valencia, we scored more goals than any team except Real
Madrid, who got 71, and we conceded fewer goals than all the teams."

Rafa on Sunday's opponents Arsenal:

"Arsenal are a team who play very good football, and it is better for us
to play against that than when we play against long-ball, very physical
teams. We have to treatthe Arsenal game like aChampions League tie, like
the final in fact."

Rafa on the race for fourth place in the Premiership:

"It's difficult but not impossible."

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