Spotlight on Benitez

Rafael Benitez returns to Anfield on Saturday, but can he ensure Newcastle United will be back to face Liverpool next season too? Adam Bate looks at the challenge he faces…

Liverpool midfielder James Milner revealed that the spirit of Istanbul had been invoked by manager Jurgen Klopp during half-time of the club’s Europa League tie against Borussia Dortmund last week. So perhaps it’s appropriate that the architect of that famous night in Liverpool’s history should return to Anfield with Newcastle United this weekend.

Reds supporters will surely welcome the opportunity to fete one of their favourites in Rafa Benitez, and the feeling is likely to be mutual. “I think Rafa will want to show great respect for Liverpool and the fans,” former captain Phil Thompson told Sky Sports.

“I hope Newcastle fans understand that and not take it personally as I remember when Gerard Houllier came back and had Aston Villa fans screaming at him because he waved at the Liverpool fans. Rafa is a very professional man and he’ll want to do the best for Newcastle and keep them up, but Liverpool are naturally still very close to his heart.”

Benitez’s place in Liverpool history is indeed secure. Aside from the Champions League triumph of 2005, he simply got it. Cast as a cold figure – “I’m not sure he’s interested in players as people,” Steven Gerrard famously suggested – he nevertheless appreciated the importance of the relationship between manager and fans in a way that others have not.

In 2010, Benitez donated £96,000 to the Hillsborough Family Support Group in the immediate aftermath of his Liverpool exit. The following year, he returned to attend the memorial and in 2013 left a single rose in memory of justice campaigner Anne Williams. They are gestures that will not be forgotten. Nor will his achievements on the pitch.

Newcastle fans are a similarly passionate bunch and Benitez will doubtlessly be hoping to …

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