Liverpool FC Forum

by **maximus** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 12:54 pm

Rick Parry: Good afternoon everybody. We are very pleased to announce that Rafael Benitez is joining us today as manager on a 5-year contract. He has an outstanding track record, two Spanish League titles in three years I think speaks for itself. But what was just as important to us was his very evident enthusiasm for the job. Rafa clearly wanted to come to Liverpool, this shone through in every conversation that we had and this is why he was our number one target. As you can see he is young, he's enthusiastic and he's very hungry for more success. Ironically his very first game in charge for Valencia was against Liverpool in the Amsterdam Tournament in 2001 and we won that day but of course we haven't been able to beat Valencia since. No one I think who saw the three subsequent games can fail to have been impressed not only by the quality of some of the players but also the organisation of the Valencia team. Rafa is not promising instant success but he has the track record and he's certainly got the appetite and we are throughly looking forward to working with him and I'm sure our supporters will be right behind him too. Rafa....

Rafael Benitez: Good afternoon. Fortunately I earn my money as a manager and not from my English. I try to say the things that I feel with my English and I hope that in two months that I will talk better. I am very, very proud man today because all the coaches - we say coaches in Spain - all the managers want to arrive at the best club and we know that Liverpool is one of the most important clubs in the world. Then for us, for me, a Spanish manager, it is very important to be here, to stay here in Liverpool, I try to do the right things because I know that the history of Liverpool Football Club is big, it is wonderful. In my idea, like Rick Parry say, I am young. I want to win a lot of matches, to do the right things. I want people, supporters to be proud of the team, the manager, the players, the club. I can not say more things, perhaps you ask me (some questions), if you do, please do slowly. It is like a dream to be here at one of the best leagues in the world at one of the best clubs in the world. Thankyou.

Journalist: Welcome to Anfield.

Rafael Benitez: Thankyou!

Journalist: Congratulations. We have been waiting for you for so long. How glad are you to be finally be sitting here as Liverpool manager?

Rafael Benitez: I read the newspapers and there is something that perhaps Liverpool have a free position on the bench. Then when I see the club and the history I talk to my assistant manager in Spain, my coach and talk to him and he say it would be wonderful. He said to be that when he was perhaps 18-years old that he write a letter to Liverpool Football Club and that he write this letter telling I need some shirts for my small team of my village and Liverpool Football Club sent to him, them, all the shirts and he say to me "Oh! This is wonderful!" because in Spain this is not possible to find this form of things (PR from clubs). Then always when we see the Premier League on the t.v. we see Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester and always he said to me "Liverpool it would be wonderful" and at the end I say it is like a dream to stay here and to talk with you and I hope to be (here) a long time. Because the difference with the Spanish League and the Premier League is perhaps the confidence and the trust with the managers. For us it was a challenge, it's a challenge, no?

Journalist: You achieved so much with Valencia, how difficult was it to say goodbye to them?

Rafael Benitez: It was difficult because for me Valencia is a wonderful club, a wonderful town and the supporters give me...I don't know how to say it in English...they give to me all the things that a manager can receive. Then it was difficult. Perhaps a lot of circumstance said to me that you've got to go. You've got to look for another club, to look for more possibilities, for more titles, another challenge and then I think Liverpool is the perfect club because we have very good players, we have very good club, very good staff. I talk with some of the person here and I think it is different. I say I am very proud to be here...it (English) is difficult for me. (smiles and shakes his head at himself)

Journalist: The fans are very proud too and the fans want success and want to win things. I know Mr Parry said there would be no instant success but how quickly do you think you can deliver?

Rafael Benitez: When I arrive to Valencia I say always the same thing. We need to work well, we need to work hard and at the end we will win. The first year we won the league but I know the Premier League is very different as you have very good teams and I think that the most important thing is to do the right things, to work hard and after to see the potential of the squad. I have seen a lot of videos. When people talk about Liverpool perhaps want to sign Rafael Benitez and I see all the matches between Liverpool and Valencia and I say Liverpool are very good team. I know that in Spain we work in a different manner and format but perhaps with my ideas from my experience I can do something to improve. I think that the work of Gerard Houllier was very, very good but each manager has his own ideas and I think I can teach something different. When you come here to Anfield you see the fans, you see the supporters, it is wonderful for a foreign manager and I think we can work hard, we can work well and after I hope that players think it is possible to win more things, it's possible to obtain titles. Perhaps it's bad to say in one year, in two years, in three years. I think the right thing is to work, to work hard, to think about each day and to think about each match and then after we see.

Journalist: You mention your ideas there, do you think you're going to have to change them for the Premiership? You obviously have certain coaching ideas but do you think you will have to change them for the Premiership?

Rafael Benitez: When you arrive at a place you need to know all the things and try to do the things that are good and to change something. I know the Premier League, I need to sit on the bench to play matches to do better but I know the Premier League and perhaps I need to change something. If I'm here it's because we win UEFA Cup, we win Spanish league. We do a lot of right things (at Valencia) and perhaps we have mistakes and now here we need to improve (Liverpool), we need to improve English (smiles). We need to know how to do things and the right things. I need to talk with all the players, all the people, all the staff to know how is the Premier League? How is the mentality? After if the team do a lot of good things, the to do the same things, then after we change some things perhaps. When people talk about the English players they say they run a lot, they fight, they have spirit. I talk with my friend Steve McClaren and I ask him why the English players play in this manner, like this, and he say to me the spirit, I say how do you obtain this spirit, he say no, we just have the spirit. In Spain it is more difficult than here. You have advantage because the players know what it means, what it means to (play for) the club and they want to run a lot and they want to work hard and they know a lot of people are watching them during the match. They run, this is very easy for us, for me, for the manager. If they run, if they are good professionals, then it is easy to say something about tactics about the idea of the group, of the club, of the team. This is the difference between Valencia and other teams. We are a team and I try that Liverpool will be a team with very good players and surrounding, staff, supporters.

Journalist: How big a job do you think it is for you to raise Liverpool above Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea? Is it a massive rebuilding task or do you think maybe a few players will do it?

Rafael Benitez: I know it's a hard work because when you arrive at a very good club the last season, the difference between the others is not good, then you need to work hard. In Valencia it was the same as Real Madrid and Barcelona were the top. You need to change the mentality, perhaps here it is not necessary because I think we have good players good mentality in the club but if it is necessary to change then we change the mentality. The most important thing is to be a team, a group that every player knows what to do in each moment on the field. That means a lot of hours working, a lot of hours talking with the players, a lot of hours try to say to them what is the best for the team, not for the players, not for the manager bit for the team and I am sure we will obtain a good thing. For me this is very important.

Journalist: How important is it to keep Liverpool's best players that they have at the moment?

Rafael Benitez: It is very important. I say that I want to talk to Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Caragher, Murphy, all the players, English players, foreign players because all need to know what means a club, a team like Liverpool. They are very good players. We will work very hard. We need to know that they understand our ideas and if they don't understand we improve our English and explain again (smiles). We need to talk with them. I didn't come here at 45-years old to learn English, I came here to win. I try to win. I want our players to have the same idea, the same mentality. If not, it is impossible to play against other teams. We need to have a very good group, a very good team with very good players.

Journalist: You mention Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen. The fans here are desperate for those two players to be here next season. How critical to your plans is it that they stay?

Rafael Benitez: Ok now they are playing for the national team. I think that it is the most important thing for them after (Euro 2004) to talk with me about my idea. I stay here to try and win, I didn't come here to talk about football, I want to win. I need these players. I need players like them with good mentality and quality. They know what means Liverpool, they are very important for us, both (of them).

Journalist: We have a phrase in England, a 'shopping list', it means the players you want to buy. Do you have a shopping list of players that you want to buy?

Rafael Benitez: (Is confused..shakes his head and laughs) A shopping list? Oh. No, no, no. I know how difficult this market is. If I have names on my mind I talk with Rick Parry about this. If he has perhaps a name I think perhaps we will talk. We will try to do the best thing for the club. Perhaps it will be easy for me to sign five players from Valencia (laughs off newspaper reports), no this is not true, it's not true. If I have a name in my head I talk with Rick Parry about this. I think it is very important to do the right things. Perhaps people are waiting and saying we have to sign one player, no, it's important to sign the right player.

Journalist: Mr Parry, will Mr Benitez have funds available?

Rick Parry: Wait and see. We've had a lot of interesting discussions already. Rafa keeps firing lots and lots of questions at us. His thirst for information is quite unbelievable but I hope he won't be disappointed.

Journalist: Any movement on the Thailand issue whatsoever?

Rick Parry: That will be announced in the foremost of time if and when it's appropriate.

END OF CONFERENCE

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Full press conference transcript - Benitez-i want to win win win! great!

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