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Tag: Rafa Benitez

  • Martin Skrtel looks unrecognisable and now plays ‘like Messi’ seven years after leaving Liverpool

    Martin Skrtel looks unrecognisable and now plays ‘like Messi’ seven years after leaving Liverpool

    Martin Skrtel
    Liverpool ECHO’s LFC head writer Ian Doyle spoke to ex-Reds defender Martin Skrtel in Singapore to chat about life at Anfield and after

    For anyone who hasn’t seen Martin Skrtel in a while, the look of him might come as a shock.

    Notorious for his aggressively shaved head during his playing days at Liverpool, the former defender walks into Singapore’s Ritz-Carlton hotel sporting a coiffure.

    “It’s not fake!” He smiles. “A lot of people have now said that I don’t look as scary or ugly anymore, so I think I’ll keep it!”

    However, this is nothing compared to how Skrtel now enjoys playing football. The former centre-back, who retired last year, is making good on his promise playing for local club FK Hajskala Raztocno. “You wouldn’t believe it, but now I’m the striker for them!” he tells ECHO. “Actually, I’m more of a Messi-like player in the sense that I go where I want. When I left my village at 15 to play professionally, I told my friends that one day, when I retire, I would go back to play with them again.

    “And they remembered, so the last few years of my career they called me and said, ‘Stop it, we want to play you again!’ When I retired my fitness was clearly not the best, but I wanted to keep my promise, so I went back.

    “It’s the lowest division in Slovakia, the level isn’t the best. In the first game I was central defender and I like to pass the ball from behind but there was nobody to pass to. So I said to the coach: ‘Maybe I should move to midfield and have a little more ball’. So I stayed there all season and scored a few goals. I like it because it’s different. You just played the game and had a few beers afterwards. That’s great!”

    Skrtel, now 38, was among a group of former players invited to join Liverpool’s tour in Singapore. And he enjoyed seeing familiar faces again after leaving Jurgen Klopp in the summer of 2016 at the end of his first season as manager.

    Martin Skrtel
    “Being part of the club again and seeing how happy the fans are to see me again is something special and an honor for me,” he said. “I am grateful for. Unfortunately I have only returned to Anfield three times since I left as I was always busy playing.

    I’ve been back for two Legends games and also to perform there as we’re making a movie about my career. I was there to film some things. It’s always nice to come back. Now that I’m retired I have more free time and I hope to be able to come back more often”.

    The Liverpool chapter of Skrtel’s film debut began when he joined Zenit St Petersburg for a £6.5m fee in January 2008. But while he knew there was an opportunity to move to Merseyside, it came as a surprise to the former Slovakian international that he was at Anfield.

    “It’s a pretty funny story,” he says. “I’ve always dreamed of going to England and talked a lot about it with my agent. Just before signing for Liverpool, I played for Zenit in the UEFA Cup against Everton at the Goodison, and after the match there were rumors that Everton would have gone to me asked.

    “At the time I wasn’t thinking about any particular club, I just wanted to go to England and tell my agent that if he could find something it would be great. “Then he called me and said we were going to England for talks with a club and in my mind I thought it was Everton. But when he then said it was Liverpool, I “I was shocked. I never dreamed of joining such a big club with so many great players. It was a great moment for me and my family and I’m very happy that it happened.”

    Skrtel made over 300 appearances for the Reds, scoring in the 2012 League Cup final win over Cardiff City and being named Player of the Season in 2011/12. However, his first start for the club in the FA Cup against Havant & Waterlooville didn’t quite go to plan. “To be honest, the start of my career at Liverpool wasn’t the best,” he said, after conceding an own goal that afternoon. “I arrived as an unknown player without much experience and people may have had high expectations of me when I signed.

    But I just tried to do my best and learn from my teammates and improve every day. At that time, Rafa Benitez helped me a lot, supporting me all the time and trying to make me more confident. After that my time at Liverpool got better and better.”

    Skrtel is one of the few players to have played under five different managers at Liverpool. He started out at Benitez, worked with Roy Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish and Brendan Rodgers, and finally Jurgen Klopp. “Everyone was different,” she says. “Rafa brought me to the club, he was the first great manager I met, even though I was at Zenit with Dick Advocaat. When you work at Liverpool with Rafa Benitez, it’s a different thing. He taught me a lot, he spoke to me every day and tactically he gave me more than any other coach.

    Martin Skrtel in
    “When he left Roy Hodgson came in and had a different style but it was only a short time with him. Then it was Kenny, then Brendan and of course Jürgen, with whom I spent little time.

    “I try to take something away from every manager I work with. They are all experienced managers and good people. I was very lucky to have them at Liverpool, they were always nice to me and tried to make me a better player.”

    Skrtel, like Liverpool, were elusive for the Premier League title until they ended a 30-year championship wait in 2020. However, there were exciting title fights under Benitez in 2008/ 09 and Rodgers in 2013/14. “Every team is different, with different players and different styles of play,” says Skrtel. “I wouldn’t try to pick a better team out of the two. It’s just a shame we didn’t manage to win.

    “In 2009 it was Torres, Alonso, Gerrard and Hyypia, but in 2014 it was Coutinho, Sturridge, Suarez, Sterling. If you put them together it could be the best team in the world!

    The 2013/14 season saw Skrtel arguably his best game for Liverpool and one of Anfield’s most famous games of the Premier League era, the 5-1 win over Arsenal which saw the Reds lead 4 -0 in They also hit the post and missed two more big chances. “People always come up to me and talk about this game,” Skrtel says. “I actually had a conversation with an Arsenal fan about it this week.

    “I had never scored two goals in a game before. We had a free kick down the left early on and Stevie (Gerrard) was about to shoot it and signaled he was going to shoot it in the space I ran into and shot. After 10 minutes we had a corner and I was like, ‘Well, it’s not against me because I’ve already shot’, but it happened and I fired again. It was crazy!

    “You don’t score many goals as a defender so I was happy with every one of them. So this game was special in a special season. At this point Arsenal were ahead. We beat Tottenham 4- 0 at home and Everton 4-0 at home this year. It was a great season but unfortunately we couldn’t finish at the top.”

    After leaving Liverpool, Skrtel spent most of the rest of his career in Turkey, first with Fenerbahce and then Basaksehir before spending a final season in Slovakia with Spartak Trnava. However, there was also a very brief stint in Italy where he soon realized that playing in a three-man defense was not his forte.

    “Atalanta are a big club but I felt it was not the right choice and after three weeks I decided to cancel the contract,” explains Skrtel. “I just felt like moving there was the wrong decision. There were rumors of a falling out with the manager, but it wasn’t true. I went back to Turkey and won the league when from my first season with Basaksehir, so it worked well for me.

    To this day, and Skrtel believes that while the Liverpool team has a new look, one aspect hasn’t changed. “We’re talking about Liverpool, one of the biggest teams in the world,” he says. “The goals should always be the highest for this season. But of course we know how competitive the Premier League is and it will never be easy with clubs like Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea.

    “But with the quality we have in the squad – new players have come in and some have left – I saw them here in Singapore against Leicester and they look strong. If the players can keep fit and the squad stays strong, it’s going Well”. It will be a long and hard season, I believe Liverpool can get back to where they belong.”

  • Liverpool legend Rafa Benitez could be about to do Jurgen Klopp a big transfer favour

    Liverpool legend Rafa Benitez could be about to do Jurgen Klopp a big transfer favour

    Liverpool legend Rafa Benitez could be about to do Jurgen Klopp a big transfer favourJurgen Klopp hopes Rafa Benitez will help him return to charge of the club.

    Liverpool icon Rafa Benitez could be doing the Reds a big favor by answering a transfer request for Jurgen Klopp this summer as the Spaniard is set to return to the La Liga coaching bench.

    Benitez, who guided Liverpool to the Champions League title in 2005, has been out of work since being sacked by Everton in January last year.

    However, it looks like Benitez is set to finalize his managerial return in the coming days as the 63-year-old is set to take over from Carlos Carvahal at Celta Vigo.

    This reports The Athletic, where Benitez is ‘close’ to finalizing a deal with the Spanish club after turning down takeover offers from clubs in Saudi Arabia.

    Liverpool are secretly hoping Benitez will lend them a hand in his new role by selling them top-flight midfielder Gabri Veiga, with the 20-year-old reportedly one of the names on Klopp’s summer target list.

    He is said to have a release clause of around £34m, but is also reportedly being pursued by several other top clubs, including Chelsea and Barcelona.

    Newcastle and Real Madrid have also expressed their desire to sign Veiga in recent weeks, suggesting Liverpool could face an uphill battle to get him before the start of the new Premier League season.

    Liverpool legend Rafa Benitez could be about to do Jurgen Klopp a big transfer favour
    Benitez could turn the tide in their favor if he can convince Veiga that a move to Anfield this summer would be in his best interests.

    Veiga is widely expected to leave Celta Vigo this summer in search of a new challenge, with Sky Germania reporting that he will almost certainly leave before the start of the new season.

    The report also says that Chelsea have previously spoken of a move to west London, but the player and his representatives are “still considering many options” before settling on his preferred destination.

    It looks like Barcelona, ​​Newcastle or Real Madrid could make it difficult for Liverpool and Chelsea by increasing their interest in Veiga this summer as they offer him a chance to play in the Champions League next season.

    However, it looks like Klopp isn’t too concerned about the possibility of being beaten in deals by other clubs despite the Reds’ relegation to the Europa League in the 2023/24 season.

    “If I talk to a player, if I’m allowed to, which I’m not, you can find out if he’s interested,” Klopp told reporters last month when asked about the failure to Liverpool to qualify for the Champions League, which could have implications for the summer.

    recruitment projects.
    “We’re not 100 per cent in the Champions League next season and they would know that.” That’s one thing we can’t guarantee next year, but everything else is the same.

    It’s a fantastic football club. We are still Liverpool and very attractive to a lot of players, I don’t worry about that. Of course, it’s more difficult without the Champions League.

    Read also……..

    Arsenal begin negotiations with a target for Liverpool; the player implores Arteta to sign him.

    Arsenal begin negotiations with a target for Liverpool; the player implores Arteta to sign him.
    Mikel Arteta, you vicious, vicious man. By hijacking a transfer that both Manchester United and Liverpool were confident would be completed, the Arsenal manager has finally retaliated for all the times his transfer plans have been derailed.

    Yesterday evening, it was reported by dependable journalist David Ornstein that the Gunners had started negotiations with Ajax to sign Jurrien Timber and had even set their opening bid at £30 million. Fabrizio Romano informed the supporters that Ajax would demand more than £30m and that Arsenal would have to increase their offer. Nevertheless, it is encouraging to see that the Gunners are effective in the transfer window.

    Liverpool and Manchester United are HIJACKED by Arsenal in exchange for Jurrien Timber.

    After learning that Manchester United and Liverpool had increased their interest, Mikel Arteta reportedly started these negotiations to sign Timber. Savage.

    The fact that Timber is trying to join Arsenal is better for fans. According to the report, Mikel Arteta is now even more certain that he will be signed.

    Khéphren Thuram has been signed, one more transfer – Dream Liverpool midfield line-up for upcoming season
    Furthermore, this is NOT a panic purchase, so please note that. First of all, even though the transfer window has just opened, Arsenal DO need to bring in a versatile defender. Timber fits that description, and at 22 years old, he would be the ideal addition for Arteta to compete again the following season.

    Timber’s ability to switch between the defensive center and the right flank actually makes me think of Joao Cancelo. The versatility of Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and this combination would give the Gunners a lot of depth for the upcoming season.

    Do you think Jurrien Timber will join Arsenal?

    Read next:

    Khéphren Thuram has been signed, one more transfer – Dream Liverpool midfield line-up for upcoming season


    Liverpool could probably have a completely new midfield before 2023-24. Khéphren Thuram might be one of them, but this is what the dream trio would look like.

    Liverpool fail to define all the problems in midfield from last season. Clearly Jürgen Klopp doesn’t think so either, having decided to sign a forward in January to try and break the slide.

    It worked, at least to some extent. No immediate fix, Cody Gakpo improved the press as he adapted to Roberto Firmino’s role and Liverpool’s results trended upwards. The real game-changer, however, was the decision to place Trent Alexander-Arnold in a hybrid role to give the midfielder that extra bite and punch he desperately needed.

    Whether this solution lasts or not, Liverpool will now be keen to strengthen the midfield unit that surrounds them. This process has already been initiated by Alexis Mac Allister, but ideally a few more midfielders would be added before the end of the transfer window.

    One name that keeps coming up is Chephren Thuram, and that would be a wise addition indeed. A third signing would give Liverpool the chance to field a whole new trio, but the real key for Klopp is to restore real options.

    After all, while the boss technically “stands in” for Naby Keïta and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, neither was reliably available. James Milner is a machine, but Liverpool clearly didn’t want to turn to the 37-year-old as a starter too often. New blood means legitimate rotation opportunities.

    So who would be the ideal option to enter next to Thuram? In many ways, it depends on how you view Mac Allister. No doubt his versatility was part of his attraction to Liverpool, but presumably Klopp has an idea whether he will primarily use him as a number six or advanced number eight.

    Though he has the skills to play the deeper role, he seems a bit of a waste. While that position would hamper his attacking performance somewhat, playing as a number eight would allow him to shine offensively by using his defensive prowess as part of Liverpool’s proactive drive from the front.

    Khéphren Thuram has been signed, one more transfer - Dream Liverpool midfield line-up for upcoming season
    As for Thuram, he is undoubtedly a number eight. He can also hold his own in defence, a requirement for any Liverpool midfielder, but he won’t play as the strongest option.

    With that in mind, there are good reasons for Liverpool to sign a number six specialist and questions remain over Fabinho. The problem is that no one of this type has actually been linked.

    Off-piste, Martín Zubimendi could be the ideal candidate. It looks like Barcelona will fail in their efforts to sign the man hailed as the new Sergio Busquets. The 24-year-old seems very happy at Real Sociedad but Liverpool should at least ask themselves the question.

    Signing someone like that would see Liverpool’s dream midfield formation really materialize. Zubimendi would come into play as an immediate starter, just like Mac Allister before him. Meanwhile, Klopp’s current options are far from terrible – they would only compete for one spot (with Thuram in the mix) rather than having to fill all three.

    The likes of Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and of course captain Jordan Henderson will all feel like they can do something about it. If Thiago is fit, he can be added to this list and will soar. But Klopp rightly rewards form, so maybe it’s Jones’ position that loses out in pre-season.

    Therefore, at the end of a dream summer, the Liverpool midfield lineup would look like this: Zubimendi, Mac Allister, Jones. However, none of them would be safe under pressure from Fabinho, Stefan Bajčetić and Henderson in the bigger role, and Thuram, Elliott and Thiago further up. Suddenly a problem area would seem like a real selling point.