“The best player I've ever coached is Gerrard, when I was at Madrid I couldn't say that”

Rafa Benitez's chat in England on the ‘Stick to Football’ podcast organised by ‘SkyBet’ provided a lot of entertainment. Not only did Benitez discuss his most recent stint at Celta, where he claimed they ignored his recommendations, but he also tiptoed around more prestigious moments in his career, such as his brief spell at Real Madrid.

A few words about Steven Gerrard, in particular, did not reflect well on his time in the Spanish capital. The Madrid coach had no doubts and named the former England midfielder as the best player he had coached, making it clear that it was something he could not say when he was at Real Madrid.

"Stevie is the best player that I have ever coached. When I was at Real Madrid I couldn't say this, but now I can say it.  It's very clear, he had everything. What he was missing was the tactical knowledge that a foreign player had because they played (in the midfield)".

"He was too good and had great energy. He went from area to area and always did what he wanted in a game, but he had to understand his position better and so did I," Benitez continued.

"When Capello came to the England team, he put him on the left. I used him on the right and I saw that he could play in both positions. Then Mascherano and Torres came in and Gerrard was so good technically and could pass the ball so quickly that Fernando benefited from that. We found the middle ground and the team was really strong,’"concluded the coach of Liverpool's legendary player.

 

August 21, 2024