Speaking to Optus Sport, Stephen Warnock has criticised Rafa Benitez’s handling of his own personal situation ahead of the 2005 UEFA Champions League final.
Usually, when you hear a Liverpool player speak about that magical night in Istanbul, they’re waxing lyrical about Benitez and the team’s ability to come back from 3-0 down to lift the famous trophy.
However, Warnock’s personal story of that day wasn’t quite the fairytale everyone else experienced.
“The squad list was going up two days before, and then we were travelling to the game.
“Squad list went up, I ran in, I was on the bench. Phoned my Mum and Dad, told them to book their flights and I’ll sort the tickets and whatever you need. Everyone was doing all that.
“Two hours later, I get a phone call from the assistant manager he said ‘listen we’ve made a mistake on the list, you’re not in the squad.’ How can you make a mistake on the list?”
Warnock would go on to tell a story of a similar situation unfolding during the season, where he was left out of the squad and then put back in on short notice.
“So this wasn’t the first time I was left out of the squad, and he’d made a mistake, or vice versa. So when I got that news, I was completely deflated. He didn’t ring me, the manager, which I thought was a lack of courtesy and a lack of professionalism.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard Benitez employ a tough love strategy.
Steven Gerrard has previously claimed that Benitez didn’t like him, while Robbie Keane’s issues with the Spaniard are well-documented.
It’s hard to really feel bad for Warnock though, the 2005 Champions League final was an example of a managerial masterclass from Benitez, and in hindsight it’s hard to really complain about anything he did in that game.
Should he have messed Warnock around like that? No, it is unprofessional and he’s made his player feel incredibly low, but he did get everything else right that day, so we can forgive him for this one.
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