Former Liverpool midfielder Vladimir Smicer has opened up on the frosty man-management treatment he claims himself and other members of the squad endured during Rafa Benitez's reign at Anfield and the subsequent sad end to his Reds career.
The Czech midfielder spent six years on Merseyside after joining from Ligue 1 outfit RC Lens in 1999 under former boss Gerard Houllier. Despite primarily existing as a bit-part player under both Houllier and Benitez, Smicer's Liverpool career ended in the most extraordinary circumstances as he scored the Reds' second goal in the thrilling Champions League final comeback against AC Milan in Istanbul in May 2005.
But despite conquering Europe in his final outing for the club, Smicer has revealed that up until his last moments as a contracted player he was hoping Benitez would offer him a new deal on Merseyside. Something which never transpired and led to Smicer sealing a return to France as he joined Bordeaux. But the midfielder was also denied a swansong Anfield appearance as the Reds looked to capitalise on a final-day slip-up from Everton, which never came, and clinch a fourth-place finish in the Premier League.
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"I went to see Benitez on the last game before the Champions League final, against Aston Villa in the league," Smicer exclusively told Ladbrokes: Fanzone. "He rested [Steven] Gerrard and Luis Garcia and I asked if I could play my last game at Anfield so I could say thank you to the fans. He left me out of the squad.
"I told him that he had no respect for me and that after six years and that I deserved to say goodbye at Anfield. He told me that the team came first, despite the fact that we were playing for nothing. I told him what I thought and usually I would never have spoken to the managers like that.
"It was worth it though because he gave me my chance in the Champions League. In my eyes, Rafa and I are still friends."
Even after etching his name into the club's history books with his long-range effort, which flew past the defenceless AC Milan and Brazil legend Dida, Smicer's future on Merseyside had already been decided as early in the season as February. When Benitez informed him that he would not be receiving an extension.
And as the Liverpool squad returned to Merseyside in the days following the summer's evening at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Smicer's cheeky attempt to ride the crest of his historic goal and squeeze a new contract out of Benitez was brutally crushed during a typically blunt conversation with the then Reds boss.
"After the Champions League trophy tour, I went to see Rafa before I flew back to Prague because I was thinking maybe he would give me a one or two-year contract," Smicer added. "I went to see him and said, 'So Rafa, I am leaving tomorrow to go to Prague and I just wanted to say goodbye and thank you for everything.' He responded, 'Ok Vlady, thank you for the final and bye.'
"I thought he might have said something more, but it was just that; it was sad because I care about Liverpool, they were like a family to me after six years, so it was hard to leave.
"Benitez was honest. He told me that February that he wouldn’t be giving me a new contract, so I guess I had prepared myself to leave. But still, I wanted to show him that I was a good player in my last four months. That was my motivation. I liked the way we trained, he prepared the team tactically. However, he would change the team too much. If we won 3-0 he would change two or three players and he was constantly doing this. If I am playing well, leave me be and let me play all the time."
However, it wasn't just the Czech midfielder who felt as if he was on the wrong end of the Spaniard's man-management approach as several of Benitez's former players have repeatedly cited the relationship with the Spaniard as purely a footballing one.
Smicer added: "I think all the players had the same mentality as me. There were always rumours that [Xabi] Alonso and [Javier] Mascherano were unhappy with it and I don’t think [Steven] Gerrard was entirely pleased either. That was the thing I didn’t like about him, but the training sessions and how he prepared the team tactically was a good experience for me and I was happy to train under him."
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