Andrea Dossena has been regaling a tale of Rafa Benitez’ tenure at Liverpool.
Sunderland defender Andrea Dossena has been lifting the lid on life under the management of Rafa Benitez via a short anecdote about the Spaniard’s obsession with the game.
Speaking as a pundit on Sky Italia during the Napoli v Porto game, which Benitez’ side left, he described his old Liverpool boss as a ‘sufferer’ of football.
He told: “He lives it 24 hours a day. During a trip to Singapore, I fell asleep on the plane talking football with Torres, I woke up five hours later and they were still there talking.”
“Then, when we arrived at the hotel, in the elevator he (Benitez) began to explain to me how I would have played in his tactic.”
A quirky tale, but one that’s revealing about Benitez’ fascination with football. It’s this which made him a successful boss, a keen eye for detail and tactical approach.
He couldn’t stay out of the game long either, if he was not writing a blog, he was appearing as a pundit during his time between jobs, and he jumped straight into a poisoned chalice at Chelsea – only to come out with his head held high.
Dossena added: “He has a great personality, great charisma… he did not ever want confrontation, always looking for the peaceful solution.”
Except, of course, when it came to Sir Alex Ferguson…
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