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- Thread starter Lee
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He's not a brilliant manager. Starting Sunday, Benitez is welcome to prove me wrong but he hasn't previously. Now I'm not going to go as far as to say he's shit and no one should hire him, but for a club of Chelsea's demands, he's not got the credentials. Di Matteo won the Champions League & FA Cup in six months with a broken team, Benitez won the two aforementioned trophies in six years at Liverpool with plenty of time to sculpt Liverpool into his image.
Appointing Rafael Benitez is a step backwards for Chelsea Football Club and it's quite obvious.
Because the recently sacked manager, Roberto Di Matteo, was the first manager to win the Champions League (the biggest competition in club football) for Chelsea, he also won the FA Cup and he did this in half a season at the helm. Not winning the Champions League was one of the biggest reasons for Mourinho's sacking. The only way I pictured Di Matteo getting sacked was if Pep Guardiola wanted to take charge of Chelsea at the end of his sabbatical, and his sabbatical's ending may have coincided with the ending of the short contract Di Matteo was rather reluctantly given during the summer. But no, one poor run and Di Matteo's gotten sacked. With Guardiola still on his sabbatical and no confirmation of him even going to Chelsea at the end of it.
I'm not one of the Liverpool fans that bums Benitez, but you have to be fucking kidding. The Chelsea team Di Matteo inherited looked like this:
Cech
Cole Terry Luiz Ivanovic
Mata Lampard Mikel Ramires
Drogba Torres
Total cost ~ £180 million
Squad players: Bosingwa, Kalou, Sturridge, Essien, Malouda, Ferreira, Cahill
The Liverpool side Benitez inherited looked like this:
Dudek
Finnan Hyypia Carragher Traore (!)
Gerrard Hamman Biscan(!) Kewell
Owen Cisse
Total cost ~ £45 Million
Squad players: Diao, Diouf, Henchoz, Baros, Smicer, Le Tallec, Pongolle etc.
And he won the Champions League within a season. It's hardly a comparable achievement. The Liverpool side who won the 2005 Champions League relied on Neil Mellor and Florent Sinama-Pongolle to get to the knockout rounds.
I'm not saying that Benitez is the answer at Chelsea, but to belittle his achievements with much less than Di Matteo ever had is ridiculous.
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Benitez wont be a success at Chelsea, in fact 99% of managers won't be a success at Chelsea if they keep getting fired after less then a season. Im not even sure why Matteo was sacked jesus he wasn't doing that bad of a job only 4 points off the top of the table compared to 6th at the end of last season and still in with a chance of getting into the knockout rounds of the champions league, despite the fact their only two strikers are Torres and Sturridge.
Oh and Joe Cole got a goal and an assist today, there's hope for us all making it as footballers then.
EDIT: My opinion on Benitez tends to change every week but to insist Matteo is a better manager then Benitez for those reasons alone is pure bollocks.
Oh and Joe Cole got a goal and an assist today, there's hope for us all making it as footballers then.
EDIT: My opinion on Benitez tends to change every week but to insist Matteo is a better manager then Benitez for those reasons alone is pure bollocks.
RDM did not have ANY credentials when he was made caretaker manager last season too...Benitez is simply doing the same thing now warming the seat for the next manager.
They were both extremely lucky to have won the Champions League. Both their teams were horrible and lucked out in winning the final via penalties.
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I would be interested as to who would actually be considered a step forward for Chelsea at this point. Guardiola seems to be the obvious suggestion but given the list of good managers that Chelski has already chewed up and spat out in knee-jerk reactions in spite of trophy successes, even Pep, who is far from a proven commodity as a manager (exactly how much did he have to do with the tiki taka revolution? The only clear cut thing he is responsible for is recognising the talent of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta and building the team around them), would likely struggle to achieve whatever ridiculous expectations Roman has.
In other news, I see that Harry Redknapp has strong-armed his way into the QPR job. Him telling the press that he was interested in the Ukraine job was a thinly veiled "come and get me" plea to Fernandes.
In other news, I see that Harry Redknapp has strong-armed his way into the QPR job. Him telling the press that he was interested in the Ukraine job was a thinly veiled "come and get me" plea to Fernandes.
If there was any justice Chelsea would've got spanked in that Champions League final to a similar scoreline to what Juventus subjected them to, Bayern lost that match, Chelsea didnt win it. Ashley Cole is a beast though, probably the only English player of the last 5 years you could legitimately attach the label "World Class" to and not have any debate whatsoever.
That Liverpool match was epic.
Without Guardiola Barcelona have looked uncharacteristically Human at times, its a team that'll get by with me managing them, but thats a fact that is entirely thanks to Pep himself, so I'd say he's a proven manager and almost certainly the difference maker more often than not. I really hope he tells Abramovich to go fuck himself though.
Good for Redknapp, I am far from his biggest fan but he should never have been sacked from Spurs, they've gone from being fun to watch to outright ugly at times since he's gone as well. I'll be surprised if QPR dont start to do really well in the next few years. But then it is QPR, and they're *****.
That Liverpool match was epic.
Without Guardiola Barcelona have looked uncharacteristically Human at times, its a team that'll get by with me managing them, but thats a fact that is entirely thanks to Pep himself, so I'd say he's a proven manager and almost certainly the difference maker more often than not. I really hope he tells Abramovich to go fuck himself though.
Good for Redknapp, I am far from his biggest fan but he should never have been sacked from Spurs, they've gone from being fun to watch to outright ugly at times since he's gone as well. I'll be surprised if QPR dont start to do really well in the next few years. But then it is QPR, and they're *****.
Redknapp's approach to management is to throw enough shit on the pitch until some sticks. Seriously - this is who he bought at Spurs
Palacios - £12 million - DUD
Defoe - £9 million - GOOD
Chimbonda - £4.5 million - DUD
Keane - £12 million - DUD
Cudicini - Free - GOOD
Naughton - £1 million - DUD
Walker - £1 million - GOOD
Crouch - £10 million - GOOD
Bassong - £8 million - DUD
Kranjcar - £2.5 million - DUD
Kaboul - £8 million - GOOD
Khumalo - £1.5 million - DUD
Pletikosa - Loan - DUD
Sandro - £6 million - GOOD
Gallas - Free - GOOD
van der Vaart - £8 million - GOOD
Pienaar - £3 million- DUD
Friedel - Free - GOOD
Scott P - £5.5 million - GOOD
Coulibaly - undisclosed -DUD
Falque - undisclosed - DUD
Adebayor - loan -GOOD
Saha - free - DUD
Nelsen - free - DUD
The first team selection for the team he got to the Champions League were mostly already there as part of Spurs' decent recruitment policy. The ones there before Redknapp are bold - Gomes, Corluka, Assou-Ekotto, Dawson, Bassong, Huddlestone, Palacios, Modric, Lennon, Defoe, Crouch.
There is no Gareth Bale waiting in QPR's wings, it could be like the Southampton job all over again.
Palacios - £12 million - DUD
Defoe - £9 million - GOOD
Chimbonda - £4.5 million - DUD
Keane - £12 million - DUD
Cudicini - Free - GOOD
Naughton - £1 million - DUD
Walker - £1 million - GOOD
Crouch - £10 million - GOOD
Bassong - £8 million - DUD
Kranjcar - £2.5 million - DUD
Kaboul - £8 million - GOOD
Khumalo - £1.5 million - DUD
Pletikosa - Loan - DUD
Sandro - £6 million - GOOD
Gallas - Free - GOOD
van der Vaart - £8 million - GOOD
Pienaar - £3 million- DUD
Friedel - Free - GOOD
Scott P - £5.5 million - GOOD
Coulibaly - undisclosed -DUD
Falque - undisclosed - DUD
Adebayor - loan -GOOD
Saha - free - DUD
Nelsen - free - DUD
The first team selection for the team he got to the Champions League were mostly already there as part of Spurs' decent recruitment policy. The ones there before Redknapp are bold - Gomes, Corluka, Assou-Ekotto, Dawson, Bassong, Huddlestone, Palacios, Modric, Lennon, Defoe, Crouch.
There is no Gareth Bale waiting in QPR's wings, it could be like the Southampton job all over again.
I hate Redknapp, and I agree it is a case of buybuybuy until it works, but here goes anyway.
Same as a lot of managers, look at the shit Mancini's waded through before he's got what he's got, for every great Fergie buy theres a Forlan.
About 50/50 on the money spent, not a great advert for frugality I'll admit, that said, most of his duds are the ones that should've worked or still have years left to prove us wrong.
Being chased by Manchester United among others, really did look the part when he was bought in, I dont blame him for that.
I thought he was at Spurs when Redknapp got there?
It was a risk worth taking, considering his first run at Tottenham.
Kind of still has his whole career in front of him.
Good for the price and absolutely fine in the team until the superior Van Der Vaart came in. Still performed when he did play.
Very young in fairness.
Same as Naughton, one for the future.
Error prone, a bit of a Bartez. Friedels better
Walkers better
Gallas is better
Good sometimes, but an overlarge lummox the rest. Sandro and Parker are better. Huddlestones best football has also come under Redknapp.
Crouch, Defoe and Van Der Vaart were all his buys, looks like he strengthened the team considerably. Besides, most of the aforementioned names were playing like shit before he got there, and its fair to say Redknapp got the best out of Luka Modric where Juande Ramos failed miserably. He also got the others playing at a higher level than should've been expected from them really.
4th place last year and screwed out of the Champions League by an inept Bayern performance in front of goal.
Only time will tell with this one. Apart from the Bale part, freak of nature that boy.
Same as a lot of managers, look at the shit Mancini's waded through before he's got what he's got, for every great Fergie buy theres a Forlan.
About 50/50 on the money spent, not a great advert for frugality I'll admit, that said, most of his duds are the ones that should've worked or still have years left to prove us wrong.
Being chased by Manchester United among others, really did look the part when he was bought in, I dont blame him for that.
I thought he was at Spurs when Redknapp got there?
It was a risk worth taking, considering his first run at Tottenham.
Kind of still has his whole career in front of him.
Good for the price and absolutely fine in the team until the superior Van Der Vaart came in. Still performed when he did play.
Very young in fairness.
Same as Naughton, one for the future.
Error prone, a bit of a Bartez. Friedels better
Walkers better
Gallas is better
Good sometimes, but an overlarge lummox the rest. Sandro and Parker are better. Huddlestones best football has also come under Redknapp.
Crouch, Defoe and Van Der Vaart were all his buys, looks like he strengthened the team considerably. Besides, most of the aforementioned names were playing like shit before he got there, and its fair to say Redknapp got the best out of Luka Modric where Juande Ramos failed miserably. He also got the others playing at a higher level than should've been expected from them really.
4th place last year and screwed out of the Champions League by an inept Bayern performance in front of goal.
Only time will tell with this one. Apart from the Bale part, freak of nature that boy.
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Ridiculously inconsistent though. He has the media on his side though. One good performance is still talked about 6-8 weeks later, while in the interim he has done nothing.
On top of that, despite being originally a full back, he has become increasingly lazy in tracking back.
En route to the Champions League, Liverpool beat Juventus, Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan. You don't do that if you're shit. They had shit players, but were well set out - hence Benitez' reputation as a tactitian. As soon as he stuck Hamman on in the second half of the final, it took Kaka out the game and killed Milan.
As for Chelsea, all I can say is, if he gets Torres good, he's worth it. The last time Torres played under Rafa, he was raping Nemanja Vidic en route to driving Liverpool to a 4-1 win at Old Trafford whilst playing with Ryan Babel. Now he has two of Europe's best creative midfielders behind him and he can barely score against Nordsjaelland
Both were teams that finished outside the top 4 when they won the Champions League. I would say they are shit compared to the sides expected to challenge for the top prize in Europe. Looking back, would you say those two teams won the final or their opposition lost the final? The Liverpool team that lost to Milan 2 years later and the Chelsea team that lost to Man U in the final previously were definitely better than the teams that won the titles. But that's how football works.
They WERE lucky, I won't deny their right to be called champions because they earned it, but I won't say they were good teams because they weren't.But you're missing the point. The players were shit in the Liverpool team, but they won the Champions League because Benitez was the first manager ever to essentially say "fuck the league, I'm going to focus on the European Cup". Not to mention the fact that at one point Liverpool's injuries were so bad that they had a sustained period with Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Neil Mellor up front. They were organised well in the Champions League - both scored in the most important game in the tournament - but Benitez sacrificed preparing for league games to achieve that, hence the shit domestic results. Also, the amount of time that Luis Garcia took to leave the field after being substituted against Chelsea and Juventus was nothing short of a Herculean effort.
Di Matteo's Chelsea team was clearly not the sixth best squad in the Premier League last season, and probably the third best at worst, possibly even better than United. They had a manager they didn't want to play for for most of the season, and again Di Matteo put all his eggs in the Champions League basket. The difference is that an unprepared team with Drogba and Torres up front should do better than one with Pongolle and Mellor.
Di Matteo's Chelsea team was clearly not the sixth best squad in the Premier League last season, and probably the third best at worst, possibly even better than United. They had a manager they didn't want to play for for most of the season, and again Di Matteo put all his eggs in the Champions League basket. The difference is that an unprepared team with Drogba and Torres up front should do better than one with Pongolle and Mellor.
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Just finished watching the Liverpool-Swansea game. Sigh* Another draw. Really disliking Enrique in a midfield role.
