Rafa Benitez rescued former Liverpool player who has quietly won the league in his first season as a manager

Add as preferred source on Google

As Liverpool ponder the sacking of Arne Slot, they should be casting their eye across the coaching world for a potential successor.

The Reds’ owners are seemingly backing the current boss for the time being, but it is clear that any further downturn in results could be fatal to Slot’s reign.

Part of the reasoning behind FSG keeping faith in the Dutchman is that there is a lack of clear alternatives capable of taking on the Liverpool job.

They could gamble, of course, and hire a big-name former player taking early steps in management, with Cesc Fabregas a young coach who may be on the radar in that respect. Fabregas is due to watch Liverpool face Inter Milan on Tuesday and his arrival would certainly excite the Anfield faithful.

But if that is the route Liverpool choose to go down, then maybe they should consider former Red Javier Mascherano who secured the MLS Cup with Inter Miami on Saturday.

Javier Mascherano wins Inter Miami their first MLS Cup

Mascherano is often unfairly overlooked when talking about the great Premier League players in Liverpool history. On his day, the Argentine could win a midfield battle against just about anybody.

Having ended his career back in Argentina with Estudiantes, Mascherano has since gone into coaching, taking over at Miami in November 2024.

READ MORE: Wayne Rooney has nailed why Mohamed Salah is completely in the wrong at Liverpool

Clearly, the benefit of being able to call upon his former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and a certain Lionel Messi has helped Mascherano, but he still deserves praise for leading Miami to their first ever MLS championship.

Having finished third in the Eastern division after 34 matches, Inter made it to the MLS Cup final where they beat Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1.

Amazingly, after scoring 35 goals during the season, Messi did not find the net in the final, although he did lay on two assists to take his tally to 23 for the campaign.

Is Arne Slot a Liverpool legend no matter what happens this season?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

While the Barca legend is understandably the face of Miami’s success, Mascherano is now a league title winning manager in his first full campaign as a club head coach. Nobody can take that away from him.

Mascherano once claimed Rafa Benitez plays ‘his football’

Anyone wondering what kind of manager Mascherano is need only look at his comments on former Reds boss Rafa Benitez while playing under him at Liverpool.

“Only Benitez could take the place of a coach like Mourinho,” the 41-year-old said via the Liverpool ECHO in 2010. “He is a great coach. He has charisma, personality, a winning mentality. With Benitez at Liverpool I experienced three incredible years. His football is my football.”

Five years later, Mascherano opened up further on Benitez, claiming that the Spaniard had rescued him from a ‘cesspool’ at West Ham in 2007

“He took me out of a cesspool 20 metres underground and to the top,” he said in October 2015.

Mascherano reached the top as a player and can now call himself a champion as a manager. Perhaps Liverpool should be keeping an eye on what he does next.