Rafa

In 2004, Rafa Benitez became the manager of Liverpool, bringing with him a platoon of Spanish players and designs on the club's first league title since 1990. In his first season in England Benitez offered both hope and misery to Liverpool supporters. In Europe, the club battled to the final of the Champions League in 2005 and, against all expectations, won. Domestically, though, they faltered. Could he yet turn Liverpool around and learn from his early mistakes? And could Liverpool overcome its own structural and funding problems to deliver a new stadium, new investors, and a team to match its supporters' ambitions? This sourcebook examines the developing connections between the English and Spanish game and focuses on Benitez's attempt to bring the Premiership title to Anfield. It also uniquely offers a detailed account from Spanish academic Ramon Llopis of Benitez's rise in the Spanish game, including his terrific work at Valencia. Rafa Benitez has brought a distinctly Iberian flavor to Liverpool Football Club, and this engrossing book reveals all you need to know about the man, his soccer philosophies, and the new Spanish fury at Anfield.