Fergie must be laughing that it was so easy to rile Rafa

On the whole Rafa Benitez has done a fine job at Liverpool. In his four years at the club he has overseen an FA Cup win, a Champions League win and another Champions League final. He has won the manager of the month award four times and the Uefa manager of the year award twice.

Serious challenge

This season he has managed to put together a team that look capable of making a serious challenge for the Premier League title. The rotation policy that seemed to place all the emphasis on European matches has gone and the fans are happy that he now seems to be giving the Premier League the priority that they feel it should have.

The mind games that Sir Alex Ferguson has indulged in over the years, particularly with Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho have always provided great entertainment. Fergie showed himself to be the master of the game many years ago when he managed to so famously get under the skin of Kevin Keegan, manager of their then nearest rivals Newcastle.

Failure

Because of Liverpool’s failure to seriously challenge for the Premier League under Benitez, the Spaniard has mainly been able to watch Fergie and the others try to score points off each other without ever really being involved.

Last week I read that Sir Alex had said that Liverpool would suffer from nerves because they hadn’t been in such a strong position before and would probably blow the title. Like many others, I had a little chuckle at his antics and recognised straight away that he was trying to unsettle his challenger.

Too sensible

There was no way Rafa Benitez would allow these comments to bother him surely. He is too intelligent and too sensible. Apparently not! I was amazed to read the remarkable tirade that Benitez went on about Fergie. He was visibly angry and made it very clear that the wily old Scot had got to him. I can only assume that when Fergie saw or read what Benitez had said, he must have rubbed his hands together with delight, laughed out loud and said that another one had bitten the dust!

It may have had no effect whatever on Benitez and Liverpool but they would have expected to do better at Stoke yesterday wouldn’t they?

For those who haven’t heard Rafa’s remarkable rant, this is what he said,

“We had a Respect campaign meeting and I said forget it, because Mr Ferguson is killing the referees.

“I was surprised by what has been said, but maybe they (Manchester United) are nervous because we are at the top of the table.

“I want to talk about facts. I want to be clear, I do not want to play mind games too early, although they seem to want to start.

“During the Respect campaign – and this is a fact – Mr Ferguson was charged by the FA for improper conduct after comments made about Martin Atkinson and Keith Hackett.

“He was not punished. He is the only manager in the league that cannot be punished for these things.

“How can you talk about the Respect campaign and yet criticise the referee every single week?

“We know what happens every time we go to Old Trafford and the United staff. They are always going man-to-man with the referees, especially at half-time when they walk close to the referees and they are talking and talking.

“All managers need to know is that only Mr Ferguson can talk about the fixtures, can talk about referees – and nothing happens.

“We need to know that I am talking about facts, not my impression. There are things that everyone can see every single week.

“To complain and to always have an advantage is not fair.”

Earlier this season Ferguson was given a two-game touchline ban and fined £10,000 for remonstrating with referee Mike Dean. This fact makes what Benitez said sound a little silly.

No bias

Let’s not forget that the FA have banned United players for much longer than other players when committing the same offences. Eric Cantona, Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney and recently, Patrice Evra, have all been pretty harshly treated by the FA. There is certainly no bias against United, but there is most certainly no bias for them either.

Benitez’s extraordinary outburst came after a journalist asked Benitez for his response to Ferguson suggesting that Premier League leaders Liverpool might get nervous in the run-in.

The Spaniard then pulled out a sheet of paper and read out a list of accusations about Ferguson’s conduct regarding referees, the FA’s Respect campaign and fixture lists.

In relation to the fixtures Benitez said,

“Two years ago we had a lot of early kick-offs away on Saturdays when United were playing on Sundays. And we didn’t say anything.

“Now he is complaining about everything, that everybody is against United. But the second half of the season will see them playing at home against all the teams at the top of the table, it is a fantastic advantage.

“At Christmas, United played on the 29th and the rest of the teams played on the 28th. We were away against Newcastle two days after playing Bolton. They were playing about 40 hours later, but they were not complaining then.

“If he wants to talk about fixtures, and have a level playing field, there are two options if we don’t want more problems with fixtures.

“One is the same as in Spain, the draw for the first part of the league is known, everyone knows which weekend. In the second half everyone plays the opposite, so you all know.

“Sky and Setanta have the right to choose their games and it will be the same for everyone. So Mr Ferguson will not be complaining about fixtures and a campaign against United.

“Or there is another option. That Mr Ferguson organises the fixtures in his office and sends it to us and everyone will know and cannot complain. That is simple.”

These are the ramblings of a man who is quite clearly feeling the pressure. It is a shame that he has allowed such obvious tactics from Ferguson get to him so badly. Unfortunately for Liverpool, it probably goes to show that Ferguson is right in what he said.