Liverpool fans will not be surprised to hear that Rafa Benitez didn’t always have the best relationship with his players but that doesn’t mean that it led to negative performances on the pitch.
Speaking on ‘The Football Historian Podcast’, John Welsh spoke about the Spaniard: “He was just different, he was very tactical, very team oriented, he didn’t really give you the warmth that Gerard Houllier did.
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“Just different styles, equally as successful but I think Rafa was very, say cold but he didn’t care, as long as the team was okay, as long as we won games.
“As long as you tactically did what he wanted you to do, he was okay but he didn’t really speak much to young lads.”
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It’s nothing we haven’t heard before and it’s likely that the former Everton boss will go home and clean his winners’ medals rather than be too concerned about hearing this about himself.
Nevertheless, the stark difference between Gerard Houllier and the man who replaced him couldn’t have been lost for the players at the time.
You can watch Welsh’s comments on Benitez (from 15:56) via The Football Historian Podcast on YouTube:
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I don’t agree with the comments about Rafa. I accept John was an insider and I am on the outside, but remember he brought Robbie Fowler back to Anfield to have a proper farewell. That’s to me shows his heart was in the right place. Also the charities he and his family have supported on Merseyside show a lot