Rafa Benitez Hits Back at Sam Allardyce, Explains Gareth Bale Liverpool Rumours

Real Madrid manager Rafael Benitez has issued a bullish response to Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce after he criticised the Spaniard in his new book.

“Do you know who Sam Allardyce is? Do you know how many trophies he has won?” chirped Benitez when quizzed about the former Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United manager, per the Press Association (via the Guardian). “Well that’s my answer. It is what happens when someone has a book to sell. His opinion does not have a lot of value.”

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In Allardyce’s new book, titled Big Sam, he claims that although Benitez saw Liverpool to Champions League glory in 2005, the triumph against AC Milan in the final was “nowt to do with him.” The Black Cats manager also insinuates the Reds’ glory was down to “desperation” in substitutions and “luck.”

Liverpool came back from three goals down at half-time to draw 3-3 with the Rossoneri after extra time, before eventually defeating them on penalties to be crowned kings of Europe for the fifth time in the club’s distinguished history. Allardyce was managing Bolton Wanderers at the time, establishing the Trotters in the upper echelons of the Premier League.

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While Benitez has earned his reputation as a student of the European game and is now managing the world’s biggest football club, the Englishman is renowned for his organisation skills and keeping teams in the top flight. Sunderland will be his biggest test yet, with the Black Cats in a sorry situation at this juncture.

Jim Boardman of the Daily Mirror enjoyed a throwaway line in the aforementioned piece, referring to one success Allardyce did have earlier in his career:

Benitez also addressed recent claims that the Reds preferred John Arne Riise over signing Gareth Bale. Jamie Carragher made the suggestions in his column for the Daily Mail, claiming the Welshman, formerly a left-back, wasn’t an upgrade on the Norwegian in the eyes of the former Anfield chief.

The Real Madrid man added some more colour to the claims from the Reds’ former centre-back:

"

Back in 2006 I went to see Bolton-Southampton. We transferred a player to Southampton but they wouldn’t give us Bale. Then when we tried to buy him, we couldn’t. I’ve known for a long time he was a great player. Carragher has made the mistake of saying I preferred Riise when it wasn’t like that.

"

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In fairness to Benitez, Bale didn’t show inclinations he would go on to be quite as special a talent in his early days with Tottenham Hotspur, with Spurs failing to win a game he was involved in for over two years. But when he was moved forward into a more attacking position, Bale took the Premier League by storm.

Now, after becoming the most expensive player in the history of the game, the Welshman is doing the business for Benitez at the Santiago Bernabeu and for his country too, as we can see here courtesy of OptaJoe:

Benitez has been the target of a lot of criticism recently, with former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard painting a picture of a cold authoritarian figure in his own recent book. But the Spaniard’s style of management will always be divisive, and as long as he continues to get results, it's something his employers will put up with.

Had Bale ended up at Liverpool vying with Riise for the left-back spot, then he may never have developed into the world-class talent he is today. Still, after being unable to land him for the Reds, you suspect Benitez would have often looked on in regret at Bale’s stellar development; thankfully for the manager, he’s been handed the chance to work with the Welshman at Real.