Rafael Benitez

BBC Sport wrote:Napoli boss Rafael Benitez has emerged as a leading candidate to become the next Real Madrid manager.

Current Real boss Carlo Ancelotti is widely expected to leave his post after this weekend's final game of the season against Getafe.

Talks between the parties are under way, with 55-year-old Benitez's Napoli contract due to expire next month, although no agreement has been reached.

West Ham have also made contact with the former Liverpool and Chelsea boss.

Sam Allardyce, currently preparing West Ham for Sunday's game at Newcastle, is set for talks about his future early next week.

Benitez began his coaching career at Real Madrid B and has also managed Valladolid, Osasuna, Extremadura, Tenerife, Valencia and Inter Milan.

While at Liverpool, he famously led the side to victory in the 2005 Champions League final and also tasted success in the FA Cup and Uefa Super Cup.

In a brief spell in charge of Chelsea in the 2012-13 season, he steered the Blues to victory in the Europa League.

During his time in Italy with Napoli, he has won the Coppa Italia and led the club to the semi-finals of this season's Europa League.

I remember Benitez tryingto sell Xabi Alonso to buy Gareth Barry. Yes, that happened. Alonso in his prime.

I also remember him buying a host a players during his Liverpool job. Most of those players were terrible purchases.

I haven't watched him much since Liverpool days, only a few of his Chelsea and Napoli games. I am curious to see what he would do with this current Madrid side, without signing anyone.

Benitez isn't a super star manager, his name doesn't bring any fanfare. I think his Madrid career will be the same.

that being said. I always want Madrid to succeed so I hope he does if he gets the job.

I'm hoping that Carlo will get 1 more season. He doesn't deserve to be sacked so quickly. Carlo's biggest weakness is that he can't rotate for shit, I wish he'd work on that and stay. I don't want freaking Rafael Benitez to be our coach. Replacing a cup manager with a far worse cup manager would be tragicomic.

Benitez did fantastically well at Liverpool but I have full doubts on his transfer policy and also using those players well. He is not suited for Madrid, he will be more obsessed with comparisons to. Mourinho's Madrid than focusing on his work

Also ancelotti todays says he would love to stay at the club n helove this club and the players."

he is as clueless as pelegrini, i still remember his face everytime mou trashed his team.

SuperMAG wrote:i still remember his face everytime mou trashed his team.

Every time? The only thrashing he ever gave Rafa was the 1-4. What alternate universe were you living in when you saw all the thrashings?

Rafa knocked his ass out in 3 semifinals in a row.

poor man's Ancelotti IMO

Hapless_Hans wrote:poor man's Ancelotti IMO

Pretty much my thoughts. I'd understand bringing Klopp for a radical managerial change, but Benitez? He's pretty much crap in the league and somewhat solid in cups, stubborn tactically, can manage big names, the playstyle is not so different either. He's essentially a poor man's Ancelotti.

I don't normally come into club sections but was interested to hear your thoughts in regards to the news and I can't believe this propaganda drivel I'm reading. You want him, you don't want him that's fine. But half this nonsense is just wrong. In regards to Liverpool anyway.

"He wanted to replace Alonso in his prime for Gareth Barry" LMAO
Alonso just came off his worst season in 07-08. He was playing below par for majority of the entire season. We warned to kick him out if he didn't pick up his form / performances. Rafa no doubt wanted Barry, don't think to say I'm not saying he wasn't interested. But he couldn't afford him as he had to sell to buy. Ideally he wanted them both for rotation. There was never a point where Rafa was he going to genuinely sell Alonso to purchase him though. It's exactly why we rejected Juventus bid / interest.

Rafa had 2 flops at Liverpool. Keane; which wasn't even his signing and Aquilani who never settled in England / was injured the whole bloody time. Seemed like a decent footballer when he played though. Still has to go down as a flop I guess. Considering half his signings were youth / revamping the academy and more than half of the rest were success / low risk buys I'm struggling to understand how he was poor in the market for us. It's a myth generated from the media that he was poor because of his spits with Ferguson.

Hapless_Hans wrote:poor man's Ancelotti IMO

more like a poor man's mourinho. i'm trying my best to find the positive in this move, in my opinion this is a downgrade. (to be honest i didn't want klopp either, as i don't know his policies), i'm not sure if firing carlo is the solution. and one of the BIG reasons i say that, and something people on here have "conveniently" ignored, is the fact that the players love him, when you replace a guy the players love and respect with someone like rafa, who can be a very polarizing figure, it leads to a lot of skepticism.....i just hope i'm wrong

I don't like Benitez tbh, never been a fan. I would like to give Ancelotti another season. He's had 1 great season and 1 poor season so he deserves a third imo.

I wouldn't mind Klopp because his teams play attacking football, and he might be able to bring in Reus to replace Bale.

I'm torn. On the one hand, I would like to give Ancelotti another go because despite everything I still believe he's the right man for the job. On the other, I don't wish to see the same mistakes that made me almost tear my hair out (untouchable BBC, lack of rotation, playing players out of position, sticking to the same game plan and being too predictable,...).

If he's going to make the same mistakes again, I'd rather we part ways.

As for the other candidates, Klopp is out of the question. Our front three aren't exactly the pressing kind. He's even more predictable than Carlo. Definitely a downgrade. So no thanks.

Rafa wouldn't be an upgrade, but he wouldn't be a downgrade either. I always thought he's been unlucky to have never managed elite teams with enough financial means. Having said that, I don't think he'll do any better than Carlo.

My final verdict: I'd like to give Ancelotti another go...and a new set of balls.

Rafa and Perez, Worst. Combo. Ever.

Imagine our transfers then, both have no idea whats good for the team. Rafa tries to replace Modric with someone like Aquilani while Perez searches a most viewed player highlight video on youtube.

StrugaRock wrote:Rafa and Perez, Worst. Combo. Ever.

Imagine our transfers then, both have no idea whats good for the team. Rafa tries to replace Modric with someone like Aquilani while Perez searches a most viewed player highlight video on youtube.

Well, at least it'll be entertaining This year we sucked since January AND it was boring/predictable.

I personally want R9 to make a comeback. With Bale, we played 10 v 11 anyhow. Might as well put R9 instead of him. I guarantee you he'll get more done.

Our club is so backwards it's unbelievable how they can sack Carlo after what he achieved I will never know and to get Benitez as his replacement I am lost for words

FML

good to know i wasn't the only 1 wanted carlo for another season... before this, what i been hearing mostly want him out..

but with taking into the consideration of bale, his sacking somehow turn into mix feeling.

however, what done is done, just hoping whoever arrive, can do something on bale.

This is Perez and Del Bosque situation all over again.

- Del Bosque (Ancelotti) gets the sack a season after he won the Champions League, just for going one season trophyless, even tho the players and fans still want to continue to work with him.

- The iconic club legend and captain Hierro(Casillas) falls in bad terms with the club and is asked to leave.

- Selling the engine of the team Makelele(Modric to be benched for a new Perez toy) to buy a new toy.

Only the third one is yet to be done, I fear for us, I fear for us big time.

i wanted carlo to stay until the last couple of games, when he threw everything away for morons like bale, iker and ramos

im never getting over ramos as dm ever, one of the worst performances i have seen and he still played injured in the second leg and cost us with that stupid foul, and lets not mention subbing everybody except the worst player on the pitch, in all our important games and still got fired anyway, that what you get for trying to be yes man before being a manager

StrugaRock wrote:This is Perez and Del Bosque situation all over again.

- Del Bosque (Ancelotti) gets the sack a season after he won the Champions League, just for going one season trophyless, even tho the players and fans still want to continue to work with him.

- The iconic club legend and captain Hierro(Casillas) falls in bad terms with the club and is asked to leave.

- Selling the engine of the team Makelele(Modric to be benched for a new Perez toy) to buy a new toy.

Only the third one is yet to be done, I fear for us, I fear for us big time.

its a bit different from the del bosque scenario, actually a lot different. in this sitaution we finished with ZERO trophies and barcelona have an opportunity to pick up a second treble. with del bosque we won the league, did better than every rival of ours in europe (out of the four semi finalists, we were the only spanish side, the other three were italian), barcelona couldn't qualify for a champions league or europa league place, and the team chemistry was fine

the del bosque firing was florentino being greedy and an idiot. he got beckham, so decided the assistant coach at united will be crucial ; news flash, he might be crucial for beckham but there are 21 other players on the squad. there was no valid reason to fire del bosque. there are however, valid reasons to fire carlo....what makes this firing objectionable is the fact that we are not sure if there are any valid candidates (who haven't coached madrid before ) to replace him and the fact he brought peace to the squad and they seem to like him very much

Don't call me James wrote:

SuperMAG wrote:i still remember his face everytime mou trashed his team.

Every time? The only thrashing he ever gave Rafa was the 1-4. What alternate universe were you living in when you saw all the thrashings?

Rafa knocked his ass out in 3 semifinals in a row.

boom. head shot

Reading some reports that Benitez will sacrifice both Benzema and Ronaldo to accommodate Bale in his natural position, and make him the leader in attack.

Read some reports that Bendtner will be brought in to replace Chicha.

StrugaRock wrote:Reading some reports that Benitez will sacrifice both Benzema and Ronaldo to accommodate Bale in his natural position, and make him the leader in attack.

sell the better attackers to accommodate the lesser seems legit

Though it's too early to say that he will the new man to lead RM, but I think it would be fantastic if Napoli reach the 2nd place at the Serie A. In this case the credentials of Benitez would be questionable. Though the good point is that he maintain he's squad position (I mean sitting on the third place at Serie A).