Benitez is the master at playing the media and other managers off the back foot

By Richard Buxton in Liverpool Fans Blog

Published 15:50 01/03/10

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Sam Allardyce was doing what he does best when probed by the media following Blackburn's 2-1 defeat to Liverpool, but so too was Rafael Benitez. The Reds manager offered a humorous and articulated retort in his post-match press conference that was worth the entry fee alone.

Allardyce was understandably given a rough ride after branding the journalists assembled in Anfield’s inner sanctum as "deluded" and their line of questioning about his side's performance as "diabolical".

Ever Sir Alex Ferguson's ally and protégé, the former Bolton and Newcastle boss could not maintain grace in defeat and chose to attack both Benitez and referee Alan Wiley who, it has been argued, failed to warrant befitting punishments for two heavy-handed assaults by his players.

If Wiley had an agenda against Allardyce's team, Steven Nzonzi's shove to the face of Lucas Leiva and Pascal Chimbonda's stamp into Maxi Rodriguez's chest – both of which would have probably warranted straight red cards from another official – would have been dealt with in the appropriate manner.

Both fouls were reactionary and the latter more severe due to the genuine scream of agony by the Argentine that could be heard high above the home crowd baying for the Chimbonda's blood, yet their manager attempted to portray his side as the victims and rattled off the game’s disciplinary stats.

Whilst Allardyce ranted and raved, Benitez had the media men eating out of his hand with a series of sarcastic yet articulate quips that implied that Blackburn were a shining example of how not to play football, dismissing his counterpart's claim that the Reds have been "digging up" results this term.

This was classic Benitez; offering reporters the easiest of tabloid angles without disgracing himself or the club. The Spaniard has endured a turbulent relationship with the press but he is a master of timing comments to perfection.

His attack on the Premier League’s play-off plans was highly reflective of the thoughts held by the fans who continue to chant his name, as was his response to Big Sam’s outburst. No other manager, foreign or home-grown, has had the nerve to take on heavyweights of the game like Ferguson.

No other manager has had the front to call into question the integrity of managers, like Allardyce, who curry favour with the FA, the Premier League and the national press with agenda-led xenophobia against the likes of himself and Arsenal manager Arséne Wenger.

Neither would any other manager of Benitez’s calibre endure such a restrictive role due to his club’s unfit owners. Yet he still battles on in the face of adversity; defying the guttersnipes and idiots who regularly brand him a “fat Spanish waiter”, some of whom represent a very small minority of Liverpool’s fan base.

Although he will never be a showman like Jose Mourinho was during his days at Chelsea, or a media darling like Ferguson, Benitez possesses all the ability to play to an audience. The problem he finds is when he attempts to act like a showman or a media darling that he sets himself and his side up for a fall.

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