Is Benitez the only one to blame?
Samuel Eto’s likely suspension after he delivered a headbutt to Chievo defender Bostjan Cesar is just one of the many worries for Inter Milan’s manager Rafael Benitez. Benitez was sacked as Liverpool manager after a six year reign at Anfield. His managerial
career started off successfully but after Liverpool’s 2003 Champions League win, Liverpool travelled on a bumpy path, one with few highs and many lows. Benitez was appointed as Inter’s manager before the beginning of the current season to replace the immaculate
Jose Mourinho.
Roberto Mancini and Jose Mourinho prospered as managers for 4 years at Inter. Benitez has managed to bring down a side which swept aside Barcelona, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich on their way to European triumph. It was obviously going to be difficult for Benitez
to repeat Mourinho’s achievements at Inter but Benitez has fallen well short. Inter, who have won the Italian Serie A five consecutive times, currently lie 6th on the Serie A table, nine points behind leaders and arch rivals AC Milan. Before the
Milan derby, Inter had failed to win 6 of their 11 games, a stat more fitting for a side in the relegation zone rather than a championship winning one.
Benitez’s decision-making in selecting players and his tactics have been poor over the years and the Inter post puts him in an impossible mission of satisfying the fans who have seen their team win domestic tournaments year in and year out for the past five
years and have just seen their team do the treble. Inter have managed only 5 wins in 13 league matches and his substitutions and team selections have been heavily criticized. Another issue on which Benitez falls behind Mourinho and other Inter managers is
the fact that Rafa has not been able to handle the Italian media. A trait that Mourinho perfected.
Another way to look at this issue is that Benitez needs time at Inter and overtime he will be able to put the European Champions back on track. Even Mourinho put in players he recognized to be potential Champions League winners over the course of his time
at Inter and helped the team win the Championship.
Inter’s owner Moratti has also been criticized for not investing into the club enough in the recent years. He failed to realize that Milan and Juventus have made substantial positive investments in improving the quality of their respective squads and will
be title contenders. There is lack of young blood in the squad and it is feared that aged players might not be as hungry to win as before.
During his 2 year stay at Inter, Mourinho worked closely with his squad. The close relationship he built with the players certainly puts Rafa Benitez in a spot of bother. It will take time for Benetiz to make the players play according to his style. The
squad is accustomed to play in a particular manner therefore Benetiz has his work cut out.
The biggest factor however remains that he has huge shoes to fill. Mourinho won everything possible last year therefore the crowd expectancy is at an all time high. There was no room for improvement last year and so comparisons should not be made to last
season. The loss of up-coming players is also something Benetiz has to contend with as Mario Balotelli was transferred to big spending Manchester City. The current squad is aging with the likes of Zanetti in the limelight of his career. Following the footsteps
of the charismatic and controversial Jose Mourinho is probably the toughest job in world football as Chelsea found out to their utter dismay. Only time will tell now if Rafa was the best person for the job, but with the looks of things and the increasing pressure
from the fans, things sure don't look as bright for Benitez as he would've liked.
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