Carra baffled by Benitez’s treatment of Alonso
Date published: Saturday 11th March 2017 11:35
Jamie Carragher says he could never understand why former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez did not attempt to heal his relationship with Xabi Alonso.
Bayern Munich midfielder Alonso this week announced his intention to retire in the summer, bringing the curtain down on an 18-year professional career during which the 35-year-old has won the World Cup, European Championship twice and Champions League twice.
Alonso spent five years at Liverpool between 2004 and 2009, but his relationship with Benitez soured in his final year after the manager tried to sell the midfielder to fund a move for Gareth Barry.
Carragher believes Alonso’s eventual departure to Real Madrid in 2009 was pivotal to Liverpool’s decline after competing for the Premier League title and in Champions League finals.
The former defender wrote in his Daily Mail column: “He was a strong character, loved by the fans, so when Benitez wanted to sell him in 2008 there was uproar and there was an episode during a pre-season game with Lazio at Anfield when the Kop sang ‘You can stick your Gareth Barry up your a***’ about his potential replacement.
“Rafa’s intention was to off-load Xabi for £30million and buy Barry for half that price. The appeal of Barry was that he was English and could play in two or three positions. But, believe it or not, only Juventus and Arsenal were keen to take Xabi.
“When it became clear those interested in Xabi were only prepared to pay £15m — and Aston Villa wanted £30m for Barry — the club pulled the plug. I, along with a lot of others, was delighted but there’s no doubt the intervention caused problems, with Rafa and Xabi, and Rafa and the board.
“It was a pivotal moment. Xabi stayed and his form surpassed the level of his spectacular first year. We finished runners-up to Manchester United in 2009 but when Real Madrid arrived on the scene for him, I became fearful he would go as the wounds of 12 months earlier had not healed.
“This is where I have my biggest problem. I had no issue with Xabi wanting to join Real — for Spanish players that is the pinnacle — but I couldn’t understand why Benitez didn’t hold out an olive branch to sort things out.
“Benitez had his best team in five years at Anfield. We were close to having a team that could win the Premier League and perhaps reach another Champions League final. Why did he have to continue the fight with Xabi? He had won the initial battle by getting the upturn in his form.
“What’s more, Xabi was under contract, so Liverpool didn’t have to sell. They proved that the same summer when not letting Javier Mascherano join Barcelona. But the writing was on the wall for Xabi and things were never really the same after he left.
“The team suffered in what proved to be Benitez’s final year. Alberto Aquilani, Xabi’s replacement, arrived from Roma with an injury — he didn’t play until October 2009 — and he wasn’t good enough to fill the void. The way our team functioned broke down.”
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