The Champions League is the eraser of Liverpool’s thirst, including when Rafael Benitez brought the Reds to victory at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in 2005.
The magic of Istanbul is Liverpool’s first success in bringing back the Champions League trophy in two decades.
The final against AC Milan is one of Benitez’s foresight in concocting tactics. Intending to outperform the number of players in midfield, Liverpool with a 4-4-1-1 formation were in a mess and left behind 0-3 in the first half.
Seeing the unfortunate situation, the former defender who had gained knowledge at the Real Madrid soccer academy then changed the formation to 3-4-2-1.
Balance in attack and defense, and the presence of winger players make the storyline change. The Reds scored three equalizing goals in the second half which forced the match to continue on penalties.
Liverpool also ‘only’ won on penalties that are often identical to the goddess Fortuna, but without the qualified tactics of Benitez abstruse Steven Gerrard and his friends cheering with delight at the championship podium.
You could say Liverpool’s achievement almost 15 years ago was Benitez’s best achievement as a coach.
Young Benitez began his work on the gridiron as a player. Injuries make him more familiar with the managerial world.
At the age of 26 Benitez became one of Madrid’s coaching staff and was later appointed as coach of the youth team of Los Blancos. A series of results neatly coloring Benitez’s career as a coach at the level of competition at a young age. In addition, the figure who once defended the Spanish student team had become a veteran assistant coach Vicente del Bosque.
Benitez’s move at the main level begins with coaching clubs in Spain such as Real Valladolid, Osasuna and Extremadura.
After a year of rest, Benitez then gushed Tenerife in 2000 and made the second caste promotion. These results turned out to make Valencia interested. The club’s nickname was not wrong, Benitez gave the La Liga titles in 2001/2002 and 2003/2004 and the 2003/2004 UEFA Cup.
This success did not make Benitez last long in Valencia. Internal disputes made him leave and chose Liverpool as a port.
The figure of the manager who is known to put forward the rotation of the player won four titles with the Red Merseyside. In addition to the Champions League, Benitez presents the FA Cup, Community Shield and European Super Cup.
Being a Liverpool manager, Benitez could not avoid a nerve war with Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson.
In the last four years of being together with Liverpool, Benitez failed to add to the trophy collection until he agreed not to continue cooperation in 2010.
Shortly breaking up with Liverpool, Benitez signed a contract with Inter Milan. The Italian Super Cup and the Club World Cup are not a guarantee for Benitez to stay at Inter. The windy performance made the club dismiss Benitez.
In 2012 or almost two years after being sacked by Inter, Benitez accepted Chelsea’s proposal as an interim coach. Half the season handling the Blues Europa League title secured Benitez.
Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italia were the hands of Benitez in two seasons dealing with Napoli before failing miserably at Madrid. Handling a club that had raised his name as a coach, Benitez failed to bring Madrid to appear convincing.
Benitez’s career continues to Newcastle United. Failing to save the Magpies from relegation, Benitez retained the club and then really lifted Newcastle into the Premier League after one year in the Championship League. Only in 2019 did Benitez part with Newcastle and become a Dalian Professional coach who competed in the Chinese Super League.
