Rafa Benitez believes Liverpool could have lost the Champions League final in 2005 if his English had been better at the time.
The Spaniard led the Reds to their fifth European Cup win when beating AC Milan at the end of his first season at the club, having arrived from Valencia. Yet the victory was far from straight-forward in Istanbul as Liverpool had to fight back from 3-0 down at half-time, scoring three goals in six second half minutes before triumphing on penalties.
It has often been asked what on earth Benitez said to his players at half-time at the Ataturk Stadium to inspire such a comeback, with it being recalled that in manic scenes as he reshuffled his Reds side, he was still a calm figure in the dressing room.
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Admitting that it was a miracle that Liverpool were able to overcome Carlo Ancelotti ’s group of world class players, Benitez recalled how he initially had troubles with English early on during his time in the Premier League and how he believes the Reds would have lost to Milan had he instead inflicted them to the ‘hairdryer’ treatment in Istanbul.
“I was much younger then, 45, at the end of my first season in England,” he told Kicker . “It wasn't easy, especially with the language.
“It was a miracle that we finally won on penalties. But I don't think we would have made it if I had raged in the dressing room with my imperfect English.
“During my first few weeks on the training ground, I wanted to say: ‘Warning, it's windy’, that is, ‘windy’, I said: Wine, that is, ‘vine’.
“Today I can smile about it, but if something like that happens to you in a final, you lose control, your message. Basically, the language is important, but not the most important thing either: you have to understand the game, you have to know how to win.”
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