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Surprise: Rafa Benitez has admitted his disappointment at being overlooked for the Liverpool manager's post following the dismissal of Kenny Dalglish in the summer
Rafa Benitez has told of his surprise that he was not approached about the Liverpool job in the summer.
The Spaniard, who managed the Anfield club between 2004 and 2010, was not considered for the role left vacant when Kenny Dalglish was sacked in May despite knowing the club inside out.
Launching a new book called ‘Champions League Dreams’, which recalls how Liverpool challenged for European honours during his time there, Benitez, who is currently without a club, said it was ‘strange’ to be overlooked in favour of Brendan Rodgers.
Talking to the Irish Independent, he said: ‘It was strange. We know the club, the players, the Academy and we have even more experience now.
‘The fans were positive about the idea and if you read the book you will understand why. So it was strange not to be approached.’
During his tenure, Liverpool regularly competed in the Champions League and won the competition in 2005, his first season in charge. They also reached the final in 2007 and won the FA Cup in 2006, alongside a succession of top four league finishes.
‘Some people were taking these great games for granted,’ he said. ‘We used to play so many important games that it seemed it was normal and it wasn’t.’
Following a patchy start to the season, as Rodgers tries to introduce a philosophy of attractive, attacking football, some sections of the Liverpool support have suggested owner John W Henry may be as bad as former American chiefs Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Looking for work: Benitez has been without a managerial role for nearly two years after being sacked by Inter Milan
Benitez remembers those days only too well: ‘I was working three years under Hicks and Gillett and it was quite difficult, especially the last year.
‘Ian Ayre [the club’s Managing Director] said Liverpool was close to administration and still we were performing on the pitch. I don’t know how it us under the new owners so I can’t compare.’
Benitez hasn’t been in managerial work since an ill-fated spell at Inter Milan in 2010, but he says ‘it’s a question of time’ before he is on the touchline again. He did, however, refuse to comment on how close he came to the Chelsea job after Andre Villas-Boas was dismissed.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2200994/Rafa-Benitez-surprised-considered-Liverpool-job.html#ixzz2670NSWse
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