Rafa Benitez has depicted himself as a victim of his Champions League success in 2005.
According to the Liverpool manager, the unexpected 'Miracle of Istanbul', coupled with a penalty shoot-out defeat of West Ham in the FA Cup final the following year, raised expectations to an unattainable level.
Reminiscing on the defeat of AC Milan, Benitez told The Times: "In some ways made things more difficult because the expectations became so high. Then we won the European Super Cup and FA Cup the following season and so suddenly everyone was saying, 'OK, the next step will be the Premier League title.' But then, when you don't win it, people say, 'Oh, you can't go to that next step,' when, maybe, we were operating at the next level up, but because the other teams around us were progressing as well, it didn't seem that way.
"In some respects, we were maybe our own worst enemies, but, of course, I'd prefer to have that problem, to be talking as a Champions League winner. People are talking now about us not having won the league for 18 years, but it was 21 years since this club had last won the European Cup."
Winning the league title has become Liverpool's Holy Grail and Benitez suggested that the time-honoured expectation that this 'will be Liverpool's year' was precisely one of the reasons why the club has failed to mount a sustained bid under his management.
"The key is not to say that we can win the title because it's clear that it's the most difficult league in the world to win. Look at the final of the Champions League last season, it was between Chelsea and United, who are at the top of the table in England," he explained.
"It's clear that we are going in the right direction and progressing. We have got good young players coming through who will be important, while those with experience are settling down now so it could be a very good season for us.
"Everybody can see that the team and squad is improving every year and that now we are much better, but will that be enough to win the title? That's the big question because it depends on the other teams as well."
Your Comments
mrbong
"yeah, Rafa, it is a bit much to expect a manager to win things and do what they were employed to do. few in any sort of job face that kind of unrealistic expectation."
blackfrancis
"Alansbass is bit dull, isn't he? You say, "If I was a red scouser.." Why don't you just say a Pool fan/supporter? A scouser is a person from Liverpool. Obviously we are not all from Liverpool, so we are not all scousers. And to say something like Pool's season will be seriously compromised if Torres or Gerrard get injured is lame. Take the two most important players out of ANY team and their season will be "compromised.""
mark07968
"Number6, I assume you are pulling my leg?! At no point did I say I was an expert I was making relative and factual points based on what people read and what is written. Just like what you seem to have done. Go back and have another read. There ARE plenty of people spouting rubbish on this site who know diddly squad about football and who pay no attention to the actual facts of what goes on. Too many S*N reading fools. And in response to ststst. It has just been confirmed that you have spent £35m on completing the Tevez deal! The net spending by Utd and Chelsea far outweigh what Liverpool Spend. It it precisely the ignorance and narrow mindedness of people like you who write in talking sh*te!!! "
tahseen21
"liverpool is a gr8t team.....but due to there lack of money i doubt it that they will win any silverware next season"
repOFmancunia
"If scousers are honest with themselves they'd take the premiership title over the champions league any day. Rafa needs that trophey it's as simple as that, and with all the money he's had and his precious "12th man", to be complaining that he's a victim of his own success shows he's feeling the pressure and the weight of that distant, distant, distant league history we all have to keep hearing about every time jaime carragher opens his mouth pre-season."
Yehia
"The one thing people do not realize when stating that Benitez spend to much are a couple of factors. The way I see it Benitez needed to add several average players to the squad when he first came. That's why you didn't see much big signing at first. What would one big signing have done at such a time? Nothing really. It isn't until last year that Benitez started taking it to the next level. He signed Torres and Masch which let us be quite honest are simply amazing. Also he was able to sign Babel and Benayoun. Right now Benayoun seems like a dire signing but I think he has yet to reach his full potential. This year he signed Keane, Degen, Dossena and Ngog. Keane and Ngog were great signings, even if Keane was a bit too expensive. Ngog was simply a steal. Dossena seems decent but I got no idea about Degen yet. All I know is that we have the quality now and are adding more and more. Who knows what lies in the future?"
i_like_sausages
"Man United are rubbish"
benno84
"Top four will finish in the same order as last season, scousers, pipe down please."
Torres_Hairdye
"For me being 11 pts off the leader is not a sign of progress. Once a title is wrapped up the winning team tends to play the kids in order to give them some experience- much in the same way a manager might at the start of the season- where there is some margin for error. A true measure of Rafa's progress for me is to assess whether we are still in with a shout of the title by say March (and this is being generous). Has he achieved this in the 4 yrs he's been in charge- the answer is a succinct "no". I believe he is drinking in last chance saloon this season. Not sure whether it is the same with Rafa, but Houllier was brought in with a 5 yr plan. In modern football this is more than enough time to at least get a team that challenges for the title ....."
dellie
"LondonRed - I seemed to of hit a nerve! You put so eloquently that I know f*ck all about football and that I need to learn how to phrase a sentence. Let me address your football knowledge and your grammer all at once. You asked the question, which may I point out is grammatically incorrect. So maybe you should learn a thing or two about sentences before casting any stones. "Has Arsenal been crowned king of Europe, or even got to a final? Or Mourinho?" Well Arsenal got to the final a couple of seasons ago against Barcelona and Mourinho won it at Porto. So maybe your knowledge needs a little, or big improvement. Just to prove what an outstanding person you are your next sweeping statement is a generalisation that the majority of English people know next to nothing about football. Not finished there you then comically argue that Kuyt was brilliant in the Euro's. Ha ha, I imagine fourth place under Benitez will be just fine with you again this season. "
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