Source: Team_Talk
Roy joy but Benitez is beaten
TEAMtalk's Mark Holmes is delighted by the success Roy Hodgson and Jose Mourinho have enjoyed this week - and feeling sorry for Rafa Benitez.[LNB] This week has highlighted brilliantly just how much managers care about their football teams. On Wednesday we saw Jose Mourinho celebrating like a loon on the Nou Camp pitch, while on Thursday we saw Roy Hodgson beaming with pride in his press conference as Rafa Benitez struggled to hold back his emotions in his.[LNB]All three are now at a crossroads in their careers.[LNB]Magic Mourinho[LNB]I am as big a Jose Mourinho fan as there is. The Premier League seriously needs his charm and personality and the quicker he returns to England the better as far as I'm concerned.[LNB]Rob McCarthy hailed his tactical genius in his blog on Thursday and I echo everything my colleague said.[LNB]Barcelona were everyone's favourites to win the Champions League this season but I always felt Mourinho could formulate a plan to stop the Catalans and he did it better than anyone could have expected.[LNB]So I just cannot believe the former Chelsea chief has been criticised by some fans (see the comments to Rob's blog) for his approach to the game.[LNB]The self-proclaimed 'football purists' argue Mourinho spoils games with his defensive attitude but I personally find that view completely abhorrent. Good football is winning football and I cannot stand the school of thought that says teams must play 900 passes a game to be considered attractive.[LNB]Mourinho used every trick in the book to get an unexpected result and it is that sort of tactical nous that would serve any one of the top English clubs extremely well. Hurry on back Jose.[LNB]London Gentleman[LNB]Is there anyone out there that doesn't like Fulham or Roy Hodgson? The Cottagers are arguably the most likeable team in the Premier League and it is impossible to find fault with their amiable manager.[LNB]Fair, honest, mild-mannered and well-spoken, he deserves all the plaudits coming his way at the moment and it was lovely to see him clapped into his press conference after the Europa League win over Hamburg.[LNB]That reaction shows just how well thought of Hodgson is, even among us nasty media types, and the entire county will be behind him and his side when they take on Atletico Madrid on May 12.[LNB]Hodgson spoke of his pride at their achievements this season and how he felt lucky to have been in charge during this wonderful chapter of Fulham's history.[LNB]That of course is a sign of the man's modesty because luck has absolutely nothing to do with it. He has completely turned around the club since taking over, saving them from relegation, leading them to a highest-ever league finish and now taking them to a European final.[LNB]He's done it all with great dignity and one only hopes he is rewarded with a trophy in Hamburg next month.[LNB]Benitez a beaten man?[LNB]Rafa Benitez has always struck me as a pretty bullish man. Even during his lowest times at Liverpool he has remained confident and rarely let his head drop.[LNB]Until last night that is. He looked lower than I've ever seen him after the Reds' Europa League defeat to Atletico and his reaction suggested to me he could be on his way out of Anfield this summer.[LNB]He's long been linked with a move to Juventus but the Spaniard has persistently played down those rumours and spoke of his commitment to his job at Anfield.[LNB]Now, after a season of desperate lows and with no promise of summer transfer funds, could he be tempted to call it a day? He spoke of the need for "four or five" new players after the Atletico game but it seems unlikely he'll be able to bring in the ones he needs so perhaps the time is right for a split.[LNB]The Reds went closer than ever to that 19th league title last season but they've gone significantly backwards this term and look as far away from challenging as they have done for some time.[LNB]I actually feel sorry for Benitez, who has had his hands tied to an extent by the club's owners, but I think number 19 is beyond him.[LNB]Calling Benitez a failure is harsh - I think he's right that everything has gone against him this season - but ultimately he has not done what he promised and what Liverpool now need is a change.
