Rafa Benitez has no regrets about his Didier Drogba comments

May 1 2008 by Nick Smith, Liverpool Daily Post

RAFAEL BENITEZ denied  that his pre-match  comments helped to fire up  Chelsea’s two-goal hero  Didier Drogba ahead of last  night’s Champions League  exit at Stamford Bridge.

The Chelsea forward scored twice as Liverpool were beaten 3-2 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate following an epic semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge last night.

It ensures the first all-English Champions League final will be between Chelsea and Manchester United as the Londoners finally got the better of Liverpool in their third last-four meeting in the four years Benitez has been in charge at Liverpool.

Drogba’s first-half strike was cancelled out by Fernando Torres to leave the tie level but Chelsea sealed the tie in the first period of extra time, when Frank Lampard scored from the penalty spot. Drogba hit his second with the last kick of the half before Ryan Babel’s late consolation.

Drogba had earlier celebrated his 33rd-minute opener by running over to the Liverpool bench and diving in front of Benitez in a clear reference to comments the Liverpool manager made ahead of the game, questioning how easily the Ivorian goes down under minimal contact.

But Benitez dismissed suggestions that this played a part in motivating Drogba towards his inspirational performance.

He said: “Motivation? What more motivation do you need than playing in a Champions League final? You don’t need any comments, you are always ready.

“I was very happy at first because he was frustrated and the referee was giving some fouls against him. But as I’ve said before, he is a player of great quality, I never said he didn’t have quality.”

Drogba later refused to get caught up in the row, but did admit the comments disappointed him.

Benitez added: “After the match it’s easy to talk but before the match I wanted to say something because I wanted to be on the same level playing field as the other team. I don’t have any regrets about what I said.”

Torres’s 31st goal of the season was the first time Benitez’s team had scored at Stamford Bridge in nine attempts and gave Liverpool the away goal they had to score on the night.

And forcing extra-time was enough to leave the manager proud of his side’s efforts despite the fact that they were overpowered by a Chelsea outfit determined to make up for past failures at this stage of the competition.

Benitez said: “It was a pity in extra time because the team was tiring mentally and physically.

The second goal made it rally difficult and third goal almost killed the game. We got a second goal but we just didn’t have time.

“I am really proud because we needed to keep going and I think we deserved more form the two legs especially the first one. It would have made a big difference to come here 1-0 up.”

In terms of planning for next season, Benitez hinted that he has the support of Tom Hicks should he emerge from the Anfield power struggle in tact.

The American co-owner attended last night’s game and offered words of support for his manager after the defeat.

“He (Hicks) said ‘good job, good effort but you were unlucky’,” Benitez revealed. “So it was really positive. There is a lot of confidence that we can make progress and now we have to think about the future. We need to keep working, improve the squad and try to be closer for next season. Sometimes one player can make a really big difference like Torres, sometimes you need three or four players. You never know.”

Torres was substituted in extra-time with a hamstring injury, while Martin Skrtel also went off injured halfway through the first half.

Meanwhile victorious Chelsea coach Avram Grant guided the club to their first Champions League final on a night full of emotion.

Grant, who wore a black armband in remembrance of ‘Holocaust Day’ back in Israel, admitted his success was tinged with the sadness. He said: “It has not been an easy day for me. I don’t know if you know but it is ‘Holocaust Day’ in my country. I owe a lot to my parents. My mother came from Iraq and my father is a survivor of the Holocaust.

“I am proud about what we did but it is a little bit emotional for me.”