Why is he under pressure already? How can a manager who has lost only one of his first 15 games find himself, as one Spanish newspaper put it this week, with his reputation on the line? Things should not be this way for Rafa Benitez, as he prepares to experience El Clasico for the first time in charge of Real Madrid. When you look at what he has achieved during his career, his CV entitles him to be in the group of coaches just below Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho. No matter where he has been during the past 15 years, he has always left with a trophy but what about leaving with friends? Outside of Liverpool, where he will forever be remembered as the man who delivered the fifth European Cup, I've always had the impression that people are put off by him.
