Rafa - 2 nil down at half time
- Thread starter Rosco
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I really don't think Benitez needs to prove anything to anybody at this stage. He's well regarded in European football and his list of successes is only bettered by a few.
Well, there's practically only one team in Italy, and that's Juventus. Rafa might not be able to topple them, but to not even come in the top 3 places in that league - without the likes of Inter and AC providing a challenge - is pretty poor. Factor in the fact that Napoli have more money than pretty much the entire league, bar Juventus, and finishing fifth looks even worse.
Nobody can say Benitez isn't a good manager in a one off game, and I'd have him above almost anyone if our season was decided in one game. Therefore it's no surprise he can win a one off game like the Italian supercup. However, it's over the course of a season that Rafa keeps falling short. 5th in the serie A, and being knocked out of the Champions League, and subsequently the Europa League by Dnipro (Europe being his supposed strong point), point to his power waning.
The fact that he's won one cup and a glorified pre-season friendly against Juventus don't look good in isolation. Even when comparing these "achievements" to our recent turgidness they still appear meh. Comparing them to how we've fared is more indicative of how bad we are than how good he is.
Napoli wanted to extend his contract.
I might not agree with a fair bit of what you're saying but at least you speak about benitez with some respect which is the least he deserves and was my original point in this thread.
If you look at this link it has the signings for every Serie A team in the last summer transfer window and the winter transfer window.
Napoli spent 20.3 million Euros in the summer on 4 players and 12.9 million Euros in the winter on two players (though one fee was undisclosed) not mindblowing figures but admittedly more than Lazio and Fiorentina.
Roma who were second spent 47.4 million Euros in the summer and and 21.8 million Euros in the winter.
They did spend more than the other teams and I've said earlier in the thread that it would certainly be considered a disappointing season but call me old fashioned but i'd rather have won something (anything!) this season as a liverpool fan than nothing at all. Maybe that's because success is now measured by some people as how much money you earn (from being in the Champions League) but i prefer trophies.
http://www.betinf.com/italy_transfer.htm
If it came across as though I had little or no respect for the man then that was far from my intention. I have huge respect for Rafa, he was the chief cause of the greatest night of my life and for that I am eternally grateful. However, it is hard for me to talk about him without my views seeming somewhat scathing. That is due mainly to debate on the man being polarised in the main, and the Rafa-can-do-no-wrongers do my bloody head in. Rafa is a legend for me.
I actually agree with the rest of your post too. It seems as though we were perhaps on the same side of the fence, but coming at it from different angles.
I actually agree with the rest of your post too. It seems as though we were perhaps on the same side of the fence, but coming at it from different angles.
Some people seem to prefer to think that he has been sacked rather than he has turned them down for a better offer.
Kinda highlights where their expectations are no? I mean ... the results have been poor for him - look at Napoli's transfer spend, wage etc ... Second straight year without Champ League football, and the Italian Worthington Cup?
The gods must be crazy.
Fixed.
I'm not a mod anymore dude - I sold my birthright to you.
Thank you Sepp Blatter
It was for a few beers in Melbourne mate, not a few millions.
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