Top 5 Liverpool managers of all time
By Kris Whelan
No.5 – Rafael Benitez
The Spaniard came with a lot of hype after leading Valencia to two La Liga titles and a Uefa Cup, something that is all the more impressive when you consider the Real Madrid and Barcelona teams he pipped to the league titles in 2002 and 2004.
His defensive style of play seemed to turn a few fans off at first, but it didn’t take long for him to win the Anfield faithful over. People might forget however, that in his first League season with Liverpool he only managed to secure 5th place. This of course would have been a disaster if Rafa didn’t go on to lead Liverpool to arguably their greatest ever night, a Champions league final victory over AC Milan.
All seemed lost when the Reds were 3-0 down at half time, but some tactical tinkering and an inspirational half time team talk turned things around. As every Liverpool fan knows, the Pool went on to win the game on penalties and thus cement Benitez’s name in the clubs folklore.
Along with the magnificent Champions League triumph in his debut season, the Spaniard would go on to win the UEFA Super Cup at the start of the 2005/06 season along with the FA Cup and community shield in 2006. He also came excruciatingly close to winning the League title in 2009, losing out to Manchester United despite securing an impressive total of 86 points.
Next: No.4