Rafael Benitez was a stubborn child. “It wasn’t humanly possible to convince him,” said his late father, Paco. “One day he fell over because he wouldn’t listen to me. Although he hurt himself, he swallowed his tears and didn’t cry.” From zonal marking to squad rotation, to a job obsession that makes Bill Shankly seem a mere dabbler in football, Benitez is unshakeable when he fixes upon things. Except, curiously, football players. His dad managed hotels. At Casa Rafa they’re run off their feet at the check-in and checkout desks.
Playing guests come and go. Defeat by Manchester United today would extinguish, in record time, another title challenge and ensure Liverpool’s worst run of results in 56 years. Their manager gives a practised defence. Benitez, citing...
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