“When I signed a contract extension last year, it was because the squad was good and I was told the money would be there,” said Benitez. “In the end, things changed. We have had a bad season because the conditions of my job changed. Hopefully things will be different in the future, but at the moment I can’t talk about the future because I don’t know what is going on here. Because of the history of Liverpool, everyone expects us to be at the top all of the time. But the real situation is that we are competing under different conditions because of the situation with money and the stadium. You can push for a while, but you can’t keep on pushing and closing the gap. If we do everything to perfection then maybe this club could challenge. But if United, Chelsea and Arsenal also do everything perfectly then it becomes very difficult because of the situation this club is in. It is a big difference. You only have to look at the players we had on the bench against Atletico to see that.”
FACTS
1. Six teams are above Liverpool in the league. Only three of those clubs (Chelsea, City and Spurs) have spent more money than Liverpool in Rafa Benitez’s six seasons at the club.
2. Six teams are above Liverpool in the league. Only two of those clubs (Chelsea and City) have a larger net spend than Liverpool in Rafa Benitez’s six seasons at the club.
3. Everton are four points behind Liverpool, but Benitez has spent £147,129,500 than them in the last six years, and has a net spend of £85,649,500 more.
4. Benitez has spent £55,580,000 more than Sir Alex Ferguson in the past six years. In that time, Liverpool have won one European Cup, one FA Cup and one UEFA Super Cup. United have won three league titles, one European Cup, three League Cups and one FIFA World Club Cup.
5. Even if you imagine United didn’t make £68m on Cristiano Ronaldo, Liverpool would still have a net spend of £8m more than United.
To ensure United reach number 19 before Liverpool, it is imperative that Rafa Benitez stays their manager and continues to piss money they don’t have up the wall.
In Rafa we trust!
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