It was June 2, 2004, when Rafa Benitez bid an emotional farewell to Valencia with tears streaming from his Spanish eyes.
Now, almost six years on, it seems inevitable that hysterical history will repeat itself and the weeping will begin again as Benitez walks alone from his beloved Kop.
The irony isn’t lost on anyone who knows the Liverpool boss that the corner which stubborn Benitez has painted himself into is all too familiar territory.
At Valencia, he felt betrayed when the club’s power brokers stalled and dithered on deciding about a new, extended contract.
Benitez didn’t feel he had their unreserved backing.
He felt unloved and said: “Personal and emotional damage have made me reconsider staying here.
“It seems they think more of me elsewhere than they do at home.”
Those words now sound oh so familiar as Benitez, 50, battles his inner demons and his own board, accusing anyone within earshot of breaking promises to him.
He expected a transfer budget of £20million, plus whatever he raised in sales, for this season’s planning.
It didn’t happen. And he believed that after the exit of chief executive Rick Parry, he would be able to adopt more of a hands-on role and be more in control of the club’s destiny.
But managing director Christian Purslow has come in and Benitez has discovered, to his dismay, which he interferes as much as Parry did.
Benitez, just 12 months into his new five-year deal, is at his wit’s end.
The tears are about to flow and won’t dry until he gets hold of the £80m transfer kitty promised if he becomes Juventus’ new manager.
He talked mainly in riddles after being dumped out of the Europa League semi-final on Thursday by Atletico Madrid.
But there were clear, incisive phrases too which summed up his thinking about being let down.
When asked if he considered it a privilege to manage Liverpool, he said: “For sure. This is a massive club and the fans have been fantastic every day.
“I’m proud to be here. I signed the contract extension because the squad was good and the money could be there. At the end things changed.
“We have had a bad season and at the moment I can’t talk about the future because I don’t know what’s going to happen.
“I said ‘no’ to massive offers. I decided to stay here under some conditions which have changed.
“I know how the players feel too, because I have been talking to them all season and we share the same frustrations.
“I also left Valencia because the conditions changed. The season has not been good. That is clear. We know why and what has to change.
“Because of the history of this club, everyone expects us to be top all the time. But the real situation is that we’re competing under different conditions because of money.
“From the start, expectations were too high. Mentally it was not easy for the players to approach every game thinking we need to be contenders when we were six, eight and then ten points behind.”
Now, almost six years on, it seems inevitable that hysterical history will repeat itself and the weeping will begin again as Benitez walks alone from his beloved Kop.
The irony isn’t lost on anyone who knows the Liverpool boss that the corner which stubborn Benitez has painted himself into is all too familiar territory.
At Valencia, he felt betrayed when the club’s power brokers stalled and dithered on deciding about a new, extended contract.
Benitez didn’t feel he had their unreserved backing.
He felt unloved and said: “Personal and emotional damage have made me reconsider staying here.
“It seems they think more of me elsewhere than they do at home.”
Those words now sound oh so familiar as Benitez, 50, battles his inner demons and his own board, accusing anyone within earshot of breaking promises to him.
He expected a transfer budget of £20million, plus whatever he raised in sales, for this season’s planning.
It didn’t happen. And he believed that after the exit of chief executive Rick Parry, he would be able to adopt more of a hands-on role and be more in control of the club’s destiny.
But managing director Christian Purslow has come in and Benitez has discovered, to his dismay, which he interferes as much as Parry did.
Benitez, just 12 months into his new five-year deal, is at his wit’s end.
The tears are about to flow and won’t dry until he gets hold of the £80m transfer kitty promised if he becomes Juventus’ new manager.
He talked mainly in riddles after being dumped out of the Europa League semi-final on Thursday by Atletico Madrid.
But there were clear, incisive phrases too which summed up his thinking about being let down.
When asked if he considered it a privilege to manage Liverpool, he said: “For sure. This is a massive club and the fans have been fantastic every day.
“I’m proud to be here. I signed the contract extension because the squad was good and the money could be there. At the end things changed.
“We have had a bad season and at the moment I can’t talk about the future because I don’t know what’s going to happen.
“I said ‘no’ to massive offers. I decided to stay here under some conditions which have changed.
“I know how the players feel too, because I have been talking to them all season and we share the same frustrations.
“I also left Valencia because the conditions changed. The season has not been good. That is clear. We know why and what has to change.
“Because of the history of this club, everyone expects us to be top all the time. But the real situation is that we’re competing under different conditions because of money.
“From the start, expectations were too high. Mentally it was not easy for the players to approach every game thinking we need to be contenders when we were six, eight and then ten points behind.”
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