In terms of modern icons at Anfield there are few more illustrious figures than Rafa Benitez. The Spaniard arrived at Liverpool in 2004 following the sacking of Gerard Houllier and won the Champions League in extraordinary circumstances in his first season in charge. Speaking on Sky Sports Football, Rafa Benitez has explained how he would try to beat Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
Rafa Benitez has detailed how to beat Liverpool. (Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United)
Rafa sang the Reds’ praises to Sky Sports Football, saying:
“They have the full-backs who go forward and the strikers have pace and ability. The midfielders, they press all the time. So as soon as they attack you, if they give the ball away, they are pressing you. it is very difficult to create something. If you are a team that has plenty of possession, they are so aggressive it is not easy. If you are a team that wants to play counter-attack, they are so quick.”
When asked how he would deal with the abundance of talent, Benitez replied:
“They press so quickly that the first pass has to be a very simple pass. You have to go away from the pressing. Afterwards, you have to go and put the ball behind the defenders. If you do that you will have more chances.”
What RTK has to say
Rafa Benitez will always be well respected at Liverpool. His passion was obvious and he showed a tremendous empathy and sense of decorum around our most touching subjects. But. Stop telling them how to beat us Rafa!
The Spaniard is a tremendous coach and – as he pointed out – he has already beaten the gegenpressing system of Jürgen Klopp before.
Thankfully, as the ex-Reds gaffer highlighted, it takes players with tremendous quality to be able to deal with the high intensity of this Liverpool side.