Benitez has special qualities to reach an exclusive club

May 21 2007 by John Thompson, Liverpool Echo

Benitez has special qualities to reach an exclusive club

RAFAEL Benitez and Kenny Dalglish are members of a very rare Anfield elite.

They were both European Cup winners in their first season at Anfield.

And Reds icon Dalglish is not alone in hoping the current Liverpool boss might one day go on to join him in an even more exclusive group . . . one which welcomes only three-times European Cup winners.

Dalglish is among the chosen Anfield few who share that triple honour – others including Jimmy Case, Ray Clemence, Alan Hansen, Ray Kennedy, Phil Neal, Terry McDermott and Graeme Souness.

But all would acknowledge this club’s president is none of those latter day heroes, but the late, great Bob Paisley.

The canny Liverpool manager led the Reds to their first, glorious victory 30 years ago this week in Rome, following it up with a Wembley triumph in 1978 in which Dalglish scored an exquisite winner, then claiming a unique managerial hat-trick with victory over Real Madrid in Paris in 1981.

And Dalglish believes it is the tactical genius of both Paisley and Benitez which was and is the secret of Liverpool’s continuing success in European competition.

As Liverpool flew out today to Greece preparing to meet AC Milan again to contest Europe’s glittering showpiece prize, the Scot said: “European football was one of the very few times when Bob would change the way we played.

“Shankly had first done it in Europe and he did it too. It was much more about tactics in Europe for them.

“Shanks would use Ian Ross to mark Alan Ball in derby matches and he did it in Europe a year later when he put him man for man on Franz Beckenbauer in the European Fairs Cup quarter final at Bayern Munich which Liverpool won – and in which Ian scored.

“I remember sometimes when we played European sides Bob would ask me to play a bit deeper. It was always a different game in Europe and he knew it. Strikers would often find themselves marked very tight, man for man.

“If you were playing away from home you just could not afford to come away with nothing.