Saturday 23 April 2016 09:14, UK
Rafael Benitez returns to Anfield on Saturday, but can he ensure Newcastle United will be back to face Liverpool next season too? Adam Bate looks at the challenge he faces...
Liverpool midfielder James Milner revealed that the spirit of Istanbul had been invoked by manager Jurgen Klopp during half-time of the club's Europa League tie against Borussia Dortmund last week. So perhaps it's appropriate that the architect of that famous night in Liverpool's history should return to Anfield with Newcastle United this weekend.
Reds supporters will surely welcome the opportunity to fete one of their favourites in Rafa Benitez, and the feeling is likely to be mutual. "I think Rafa will want to show great respect for Liverpool and the fans," former captain Phil Thompson told Sky Sports.
"I hope Newcastle fans understand that and not take it personally as I remember when Gerard Houllier came back and had Aston Villa fans screaming at him because he waved at the Liverpool fans. Rafa is a very professional man and he'll want to do the best for Newcastle and keep them up, but Liverpool are naturally still very close to his heart."
Benitez's place in Liverpool history is indeed secure. Aside from the Champions League triumph of 2005, he simply got it. Cast as a cold figure - "I'm not sure he's interested in players as people," Steven Gerrard famously suggested - he nevertheless appreciated the importance of the relationship between manager and fans in a way that others have not.
In 2010, Benitez donated £96,000 to the Hillsborough Family Support Group in the immediate aftermath of his Liverpool exit. The following year, he returned to attend the memorial and in 2013 left a single rose in memory of justice campaigner Anne Williams. They are gestures that will not be forgotten. Nor will his achievements on the pitch.
Newcastle fans are a similarly passionate bunch and Benitez will doubtlessly be hoping to forge a similar bond on Tyneside. However, such is the hand that has been dealt him, it's tempting to think that keeping this Newcastle team up will require a turnaround almost as unlikely as what happened that night in Turkey 11 years ago.
There aren't enough good players and that's why they are in this situation.
"I don't think it's just an attitude problem," said Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher last month when discussing their plight. "I think there's a lack of quality. There aren't enough good players and that's why they are in this situation." It's a daunting prospect and the initial signs were not good.
Although the Spaniard was able to end a six-game losing streak in the derby against Sunderland, the other three of his first four games as manager were all lost. But there has now been an upturn in fortunes, and the Benitez effect will feel familiar to those at Anfield.
Firstly, there was the surprisingly convincing 3-0 win over Swansea. "The gaffer gave the game plan and we implemented that," said midfielder Jonjo Shelvey. Then came a 1-1 draw against Manchester City, ending a miserable sequence of 12 consecutive defeats in the fixture. One goal conceded in two games - and even that effort was clearly offside.
"It's not a surprise to see Benitez has sorted their defence out," said Thompson. Newcastle aren't quite the compact unit just yet but while the current team might not have inspired too much confidence on paper, in practice, they are at least listening. And with Benitez, there's reason to believe that's both a prerequisite for - and a prelude to - improvement.
It's not a surprise to see Benitez has sorted their defence out.
Consider the comments. "As a young player, it is absolutely fantastic to work with Rafa Benitez," said Chancel Mbemba. His centre-back partner Jamaal Lascelles is learning too. "The gaffer has got us doing some excellent training sessions," he explained. "He does a lot of tactical stuff which is brilliant." Shelvey has admitted that it's like "going back to school".
At the school of Benitez, hard work is non-negotiable - particularly when he's not in a position to bolster the squad, having only arrived in March. Upping the work rate has been key and Moussa Sissoko embodies the change. Handed the captaincy, he made 72 sprints and covered 11.8 kilometres in the win over Swansea - his best efforts of the season so far.
"The work rate has improved," said Niall Quinn on co-commentary for Sky Sports on Tuesday night. "Everything now looks better." As Carragher alluded to in his remarks last month, whether that's enough to retain Newcastle's Premier League status remains to be seen. But it seems that Benitez is part of the solution not the problem.
Of course, that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Indeed, it has always felt a curious criticism of Benitez's credentials that he lacks the experience of a relegation battle possessed by Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce - as though 15 years of coaching winning teams does not qualify him for the task of trying to win football matches.
He may have won European trophies at both Valencia and Liverpool, but some of Benitez's best nights as a manager in both Spain and England have come with his team in the role of underdog. His enemy is time not tactics. So while games against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa loom, such is Newcastle's predicament, they may need something at Anfield too.
History is not on his side. Everyone remembers that 4-3 game between the sides 20 years ago this week. What's less well known is that Newcastle haven't won there since. But with Benitez having already ended similar streaks against Sunderland and Manchester City, what's one more upset between friends? That spirit of Istanbul may be needed yet again.
