Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I’LL MANAGE TIL I’M 72
Benitez wants 15 more years as a gaffer
RAFA BENITEZ wants 15 more years in top-level management.
The Newcastle boss insisted he can work until he is 72 – a year later than his old rival Sir Alex Ferguson.
Benitez believes he will have longevity because the pressure of the game “brings the best” out of him.
His is already a veteran of seven major managerial posts and has won the Champions League, UEFA Cup, Europa League, La Liga, the Coppa Italia and the FA Cup in an illustrious career so far.
Despite being in his late 50s, Benitez considers himself “a young” boss and says he has a team around him to share the workload.
The Toon manager said: “I’m 57 now and I’m still a young manager. I was quite young when I started and I was winning trophies so it feels like I have been there all my life.
“I am getting older, but I feel like, as a manager, I have another 15 years that I can enjoy. It’s a profession I like.”
The former Liverpool, Real Madrid, Inter, Napoli and Chelsea chief is known for his intensity and work ethic.
He added: “Sometimes you like to switch off, but I like to feel the pressure and it brings the best out of me.
“We have good staff and
I’m not worried about the pressure. You can feel the pressure, but normally I’m fine with this.” The Spaniard says some managers inherit great teams and are successful. But he sees himself as a boss who works hard to build success.
He added: “Some managers are lucky because they have the best team possible and they win.
“But some managers have a career and work very hard. For me, that is the way.
“I like to see how my teams are improving – to create teams that can be competitive and you can win against everyone.
“It’s a frustration when you cannot do it, but we try to do things in the best way possible and I like to do things really well.
“Normally when managers are successful it is because they live for football.
“But also some of them have great teams, so they go and enjoy it and they don’t need to do too much. There are different ways to win, but if you want to win, especially at the stage when you are a young manager and don’t have the best team, you have to work very hard.”
Benitez takes his Newcastle side, currently mid-table after a decent start, to Southampton on Sunday.
He described himself as “pragmatic” about his situation at St James’ Park where he was unhappy at the summer transfer activity.
Benitez hinted in September that Newcastle might not be a “long-term” project.
However, with a potential takeover on the horizon, that outlook could change.
Long-term, Benitez could end up as Spain’s national boss.
He added: “My future? I know people are talking about it, but we haven’t had any conversation.
“I talk with managing director Lee Charnley every day and we talk about the issues we have to deal with during the week.
“I have a contract so it is not an issue. The issue for me is that I prepare the team properly, then we will have plenty of time to discuss the future.
“My idea is always to think about the next game, but in terms of can we improve the squad, the club, the team in terms of football?
“I think so, so we will do one thing at a time and make sure the team settles down in the Premier League then after we can improve things.”