Can Rafa Benitez rise above his own problems at Real Madrid?
The last thing Rafa Benitez did, that he can be truly proud of, happened a decade ago. His Champions League victory with Liverpool. Since then, there have been minor successes, like winning the Europa League with Chelsea, but overall Rafa's CV in recent years has been nothing to brag about. Twice champions of Spain with Valencia, then kings of Europe with Liverpool; that would have been a good time to take over at Real Madrid. Not a 10 years later when his stock has sunken. He left Liverpool with mixed reviews, failed miserably at Inter Milan, was hated at Chelsea and mediocre with Napoli; this is not the right time for Benitez to be Real Madrid manager.
The way Rafa riles important players is a potential flash-point too. We've seen this a lot during his career. Xabi Alonso and Albert Riera at Liverpool, Marco Materazzi and Samuel Eto'o, at Inter Milan, most of Chelsea's old guard, including notably John Terry. Benitez tried to phase the centre-back out of the team, but we've just seen him captain the Blues to the title under Jose Mourinho, playing every Premier League game and being the competition's outstanding defender. Benitez is too unwilling to compromise and lean in a player's direction every now and again. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo might not react particularly well to that.
The Benitez way is an issue. His training sessions will be very different from those of Carlo Ancelotti. He is considered obsessive, with a one-track mind and will weigh on his players far more than the Italian ever did. That could be a good thing, of course, the same way that Luis Enrique has revitalised Barcelona after they slacked under Tata Martino last term. But Benitez may be too strong a change. He will make Madrid's stars run. And run. And run.
Real Madrid fans might be in for a bit of a culture shock. Although Rafa's formative years were spent at the club, where he coached the B team between 1993-1995, the attacking style that you generally associate with Madrid might be disappearing. It's unlikely Benitez will want to keep Ancelotti's three-striker system, instead looking to be more solid in defence. Asier Illarramendi or Casemiro might be in for reprieve too, if Benitez decides that Kroos-Modric-James is too offensive a midfield.
Things do not look promising for Real Madrid under Benitez and it's hard to shake the idea that he'll be gone sooner, rather than later, when Zinedine Zidane is ready to take the role. But with such low expecations, perhaps this is Rafa's time to rise. You probably shouldn't bank on it though.
