Originally Posted by
DeLorean
I don't read tabloids, or papers in general for that matter. Why do you find it so difficult to believe that you're not the only one with a mind of your own? I believe that Benitez left Liverpool with an extremely limited, unmotivated squad devoid of any sort of confidence. It seems fairly obvious that his man management skills leave a lot to be desired. The squad he left is even worse than the one he inherrited from Houllier, in my opinion. It's all well and good saying he came close to breaking even financially in the transfer marker, but there were still plenty of bad decisions along the way when players coming in weren't as good as the ones going out.
I agree it was always going to be a difficult job to follow what Mourinho had achieved. That said, is it not the managers responsibility to keep these players motivated and playing to their capabilities? Are you suggesting Rafa isn't capable of doing that? Inter had 3 Serie A titles in a row when Mourinho took over and their motivation only grew. Also, they are only a couple of months older than the team that won in Madrid, so I think it's a bit early to use the age card!