19/12/2007
It’s been said that your position was at risk because of your confrontation with the owners…
- It’s been exaggerated a little bit. The Americans want the best for the club and so do I. They want to sit down and clarify a few things because there is a language barrier and one of distance as well. I think we needed to improve the ways of communication. I’m very calm. I have the confidence that things will be resolved and everything will be fine.
Are things getting more complicated when businessmen get into football?
- The problem of football in general, not just in England, is money. There are a lot of interests and that puts the football aspect in a secondary role sometimes. If we speak of the preseason, before it was unthinkable to go to Asia and change the preparation of the teams. Now it’s done because there is a lot of money in it. Football has changed and not everything works in its favour.
It seems like the form has been somewhat irregular this season?
- We had problems in Europe, but the team made a good start to the league. Then we had a bad month where we had bad results in the Premier and it coincided with the bad results of the Champions. It seemed like we had a mini-crisis, but the team reacted well in the League and we felt more comfortable in the Champions.
In the Premier it is very difficult to fight with the like of Chelsea and United for the title?
- Liverpool have not won the league for 18 years and there is an explanation: the economical potential of the other teams has increased tremendously and we were always trailing them. Now there has been an inversion, but we’re still playing catch-up. The stadium capacity alone supposes 30 million more for the likes of United and Arsenal. The idea is to shorten that gap by building a new [bigger] stadium and also making the right decisions when buying and selling players. That is the key.
From Melwood you can basically control the entire club.
- The figure of the manager in England is this, but there are specialists at every club. What the manager can do is make sure that the sporting and economic issues don’t mix. But the truth is that you never stop working. You always need to pay attention to many issues and it gets complicated. I come from a culture of ‘the coach’ and I like to be on the pitch, train, and then, go up to my office. Those hours, a traditional manager in England such as Ferguson, are used for other things.
After the latest controversy, do you see yourself honoring your current contract at Liverpool?
- I’m quite comfortable here. I would like to stay for the length of my contract and extend it if possible. My family have adapted very well, and for me, the respect and valuation from the supporters in England is fantastic.
The support from the people in Liverpool is huge.
- 40,000 signatures on the internet were collected for me to continue as Liverpool manager. There were signatures from Australia and Asia. Many fans from around the world are supporting a manager who’s achieved some important titles for the club.
Does it bother you that you could be criticized for signing too many Spaniards?
- The fact that we are very active in the Spanish market is due to our extensive knowledge of it. Wenger invests quite heavily in the French market because he knows it well and Mourinho brought some Portuguese players at first, because he’s from there. We have a network of scouts all around the world in order to find the best players. But one thing is clear, choosing a good player is one thing but finding a good professional is more important. In order to know the person better you need a lot of information, and sometimes, you don’t have that information in other countries but you do in Spain.
Is that why you signed Torres?
- The success of Fernando Torres has not been due to his football abilities alone but his mentality and his quick adaptation. We knew what he wanted and what he was looking for. Before we had to make bets with less money and now we were able to do so with more money. I prefer this kind of risk because you’re betting to become champions and not for a mid-table place. You have to take advantage of these kinds of opportunities.
Is your big challenge winning the Premier with Livepool?
- We are very close now. We have eight more points than last year at this point and we have qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions, besides we’re still in the Carling with a difficult match against Chelsea. We’re in a good situation, but other teams are also investing, progressing and evolving. We’re shortening the gap.
Your best memories must come from the CL final win against Milan?
- We had to work hard for that one. It’s the most exciting final I can remember and, when I look at the team we had, I almost can’t believe it.
What happened at halftime when you were down 3-0?
- My main problem was the language. When we were down 2-0 I was trying to write some things I wanted to say at halftime and, then, they scored the third goal. Sending across a message in another language is difficult. I was thinking as we entered the dressing room at halftime and then I heard our supporters sing and it was amazing. They were signing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ and were still hopeful at a time when other team’s supporters would’ve left the stadium already. That was an evident source of inspiration. I told them [the players] we had all these people in the stands and we had to do our best. We needed to score a goal to get back in the match. We did. And it was fantastic.
He’s not thinking about their next rival in the Champions
Liverpool is one of the possible rivals for Barça in the next round of the Champions, but Benitez does not want to think about the draw. “I haven’t thought about any of the possible opponents. I can’t pick and choose because it doesn’t depend on me. It’s a lottery and I’m pragmatic about those things. Thinking about the draw before hand doesn’t serve any purpose. Once the draw is made we will have to think of beating whoever it is”.
Despite all this, Benitez has so much experience in this competition that he doesn’t really care about the opposition. “All five teams we can face could be clear favourites to win the Champions, but if you are facing us I would reconsider that notion. The Champions is very competitive and it’s impossible to know for certain who will be there in the final”.
And Benitez believes that “In the Champions you must have luck, quality and efficient. The ties are usually very even and any small individual or team detail can influence the final result. It’s very complicated”.
Benitez knows what it’s like to eliminate Barça in the Champions. Last season, Liverpool won at the Camp Nou 1-2 and went through despite losing at home by 0-1.
Diario Sport
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