I have to say, despite the poor season, I never expected Rafa Benitez to be dealt with so harshly by Liverpool. Inter Milan seems a feasible destination for the Spaniard given the departure of Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid but do the Italians represent a wise move?
My initial reaction to the news was an unequivocal ‘no’. Three very pertinent reasons for refusing the job at Inter run as follows: 1. There is only one way the club can go from an unprecedented, all conquering season: downward 2. Mourinho’s is a vacuous hole left – not for his relationship with the media but more so for the bond he forges with his players – and immediate comparisons may undercut Benitez’s authority within the club and 3. Some of Inter’s best players last season (Sneijder, Lucio, Maicon, and Cambiasso) may wish to leave the club, with Maicon already hinting at reuniting with Mourinho in Madrid.
But having taken a moment to consider the move again, it may not be as dangerous for Benitez’s reputation as those three reasons suggest. That the club will not be able to recreate last season’s success is more than likely and, on the one hand, anyone coming in is walking into a destined failure, but conversely the lowered expectation may work in favour of the new manager – some patience in a notoriously impatient football sphere may be afforded. Benitez’s arrival would also be low key in comparison to the ‘LOOK AT ME’ brigade that accompanied Mourinho and would certainly counter some of the scrutiny that his predecessor thrived on.
That Mourinho’s bond with his players is unlikely to be recreated is a certainty, especially from the infamously mechanical-minded Benitez. But if Inter’s success over Barcelona demonstrated one thing apart from their resolve it is an understanding that each player had a role to complete for the team in a highly functional approach to the formation (Eto’o, Pandev and Sneijder – three attack minded players – were demanded to do their defensive shift). Benitez’s methodology will have no frills; he will not attempt to bond with the players and risk losing their respect as a cheap imitator. Instead his calculated approach is rooted in professionalism; a much vaunted virtue in Italy (see here). The likes of Zanetti, Samuel, and Cambiasso will hardly have qualms with this.
As for the argument of players leaving, yes, it will be damaging to lose someone of Maicon’s calibre. But Lucio, Pandev, Milito, Eto’o, Sneijder, and Motta have only played one season at Inter and will most likely decide to stay at least one more year at the club and the city that has given them some of their finest moments as professional footballers. It is also reported (in the Telegraph) that Benitez would have a staggering £80m at his disposal in the transfer window to strengthen the squad. That represents something the Spaniard has never had in his time as manager: the opportunity to break the bank for several signings in one window.
On a side note of style; Inter have built their success on a functional team where aesthetics are second to winning. The Spaniard’s tactics will not be derided if they prove effective (his deployment of the double pivot in central midfield is a guarantee but this team, crucially, has a band of proven and international class players for him to utilise). Benitez’s tactical acumen will be much better received in Italy and his inherited squad would already be a vast improvement on the one he has been forced to leave. So now, even if all he wins is a Scudetto – bearing in mind how easy they’ve come by for Inter in the past four seasons – it will be a third domestic championship in a second country to add to his CV (already boasting UEFA Cup, Champions League, and La Liga crowns).
Although it first seemed a terrible idea the move represents a potentially symbolic and bitter coup de grace from Benitez to his former employers in the form of leading a new team to success, even more so if Liverpool lose one or two of their Spanish contingent and fail to improve on the previous manager’s achievements.
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