Saint Domingo
Player Valuation: £90m
Sorry we're usually on the same page when it comes to the RS but I actually rate Benitez. His football can be dour but he understands what it takes defensively to win trophies.
You've got to include his time at Valencia if we're talking fairly. Two league titles and a European trophy is good in anyone's books.
He went to a Liverpool side that was largely in decline. The late 90s vintage of Mcmanaman Fowler Henchoz Berger even Owen had largely gone or were in decline. He had a decent local spine of Carragher Gerrard and an often injured Owen and some good players like Hyppia but it was not a great team. He delivered by hook or by crook there last two major trophies. 9 years and billions of pounds have passed with only a tin pot v Cardiff to show. Benitez benefitted from what was almost guaranteed ECL income each year but there was no doubting the quality of the team he had in 09. Took one of the best United sides of the prem era and a freak Macheda goal to stop them.
Inter was a mess but he's not the only manager to struggle following Mourinho. That team were champions but most players were well over 30 and you could tell Mourinho had been their last hurrah (Etoo being a prime example). They needed rebuilding yet Rafael got barely any money and no time. What did they expect?
He did ok at Chelsea, took a team Di Matteo had outside the top 4 and with ECL group progression out of their hands. He finished the season in the top 4 and won the Europa League. By the end he had Mata playing wondrously and had beaten United and City well. Obviously though when Mourinho is available you don't pass that up.
Napoli he won the Italian cup but his league form was poor admittedly. Did he have a better team than Juve? No but he probably had the second or third best squad.
As for Madrid it's early days but they are a club who sack managers after one season. Getting battered by Barca is nothing new, it's happened to nearly every recent Madrid manager. The last league they won was by playing disciplined defensive football under Mourinho, they hounded him out, then hounded Ancelotti for not winning it playing attacking football, now they're not happy with Benitez playing defensively.
The player power is ridiculous there, maybe if the president backed his manager the players might play for him and they might actually win something.
So yeah Rafael is not up there with the very top layer of football manager. Madrid may be too big a job but given time he would probably deliver trophies, he has almost every where else.
Would people have him at Everton if he delivered trophies?
