The former Reds midfielder expects the Spaniard to receive a warmer welcome at Anfield on Sunday than he will ever get from Chelsea fans but does not see him back in the dugout

EXCLUSIVE
By Russell Stoddart

Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez will be hailed as a hero on his return to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday, according to Ray Houghton.

The former Reds midfielder believes that it will be one of those rare occasions when a visiting manager will receive a better reception from opposing fans than his own but thinks it unlikely that the Spaniard will be back in his old team’s dugout any time soon.

“When he takes his place in the Anfield dugout he will receive heartfelt applause from the home fans and some might even sing his name. I doubt he would ever get that from Chelsea fans,” Houghton told Goal.com.

“There has been some time to reflect on his overall period in charge and Liverpool fans view it as a success. The general opinion is that the club had a more successful time under Rafa than any manager since the glory days of the 70s and 80s.

“No-one will ever forget the Champions League win in 2005 but there was other cup success too, a second place in the league and also another Champions League final.

“It only really went pear-shaped in the last year when Rafa began to make some mistakes. There was the power struggle he had with the owners over the direction of the club and there were some bad dealings in the transfer market.

“Perhaps the final straw was a change in the style of play. Liverpool fans are used to easy-on-the-eye, pass-and-run style but Rafa wanted a more direct approach and it didn’t work.

“I don’t know what he will do next but, despite his family remaining in Merseyside, I doubt he would come back to Liverpool and I don’t think he would be invited.

“Brendan Rodgers will be given at least another year to prove himself at Liverpool and, by then, Rafa will be somewhere else.

“When he took over at Chelsea he talked about going for five trophies but, while the only one he can still win is the Europa League, if he can double up with a top-four finish then he will feel he’s done a decent job.”

Houghton observes that Benitez’s tussles with Chelsea, particularly when Jose Mourinho was in charge, helped endear him to the Anfield faithful. While the two managers were in place, the Reds beat the Blues in two Champions League semi-finals even though the London club were the dominant force in English football.

“The fans love it when their manager knows the history of the club, particularly at Liverpool where there is such a rich history,” the ex-pro continued. “If beating Chelsea twice on such a big stage wasn’t enough for the Liverpool fans, Rafa went one better by boasting that while Chelsea were ‘new’ to success, Liverpool had the ‘history’.

“I don’t think Liverpool fans have ever forgotten that, and, equally, I think it is part of the Chelsea fans’ resentment towards him.”

Similarities of position, playing style, career paths and achievements made comparison inevitable between two great midfielders destined to be rivals as well as team-mates

COMMENT
By Liam Twomey

When Chelsea and Liverpool renew hostilities at Anfield on Sunday, all eyes, inevitably, will fall on Rafa Benitez. With less than a month to go in a tenure which is already certain to see him remembered as the most loathed Blues manager ever, the Spaniard will have to work hard to conceal his pleasure at the warm welcome that will surely be extended to him by the Kop.

But more significant than this, or the legions of other subplots which permeate this peculiar modern rivalry, is the prospect of two of its most enduring figures facing off for the last time.

The influence Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard – or Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, depending on your viewpoint, and everyone has one – have exerted over their respective club’s fortunes over the past decade is such that the idea they may never again share a football pitch, commanding opposing forces of red and blue, constitutes nothing less than the end of an era.

GERRARD VS LAMPARD
2012-13 PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
GERRARD	LAMPARD
Appearances: 33 Minutes played: 2,970 Goals: 10 Assists: 11 Passes: 2,201 Passing accuracy: 85.8%	Appearances: 24 Minutes played: 1,565 Goals: 12 Assists: 0 Passes: 1,048 Passing accuracy: 82%

Both men surely tired long ago of the endless comparisons, yet their positions, playing styles, career paths and achievements ensure one can never be considered apart from the other. At club level they became symbols of two English giants who came to fear and dislike one another in equal measure. Even for their country they were destined to be rivals as much as team-mates.

Lampard or Gerrard? Lampard and Gerrard? Two profoundly different but equally beguiling questions which have perplexed managers, pundits and fans alike over the years. The issue of whether they could both shine in the same midfield became the debate of choice for those seeking to rationalise why England’s so-called “Golden Generation” failed to ignite.

Some insisted that two midfield playmakers so accustomed to having the engine room built around them could never adjust to being just another cog, and that neither possessed the defensive abilities or inclination to give the national team balance.

Others argued the two were different enough to complement each other – Lampard with his economical passing and clever movement, Gerrard with his drive, power and sheer force of will – and invoked the age-old mantra of ‘good players can play together’.

Jose Mourinho clearly belonged in the latter camp. An avowed admirer of Gerrard, one can only imagine how events would have transpired for all parties had the Special One succeeded in convincing Liverpool’s talisman to swap Anfield for Stamford Bridge and life alongside Lampard in the summer of 2005.

That he did not was cause for great relief in the Red half of Merseyside and, perhaps, regret for the succession of England managers who have followed. Gerrard’s feelings, however, are likely more nuanced, having sacrificed the chance to win a Premier League title in order to further strengthen his claim to be considered Liverpool’s greatest ever captain, and a club legend to rival any other.

Gerrard’s choice ensured the rivalry between the two men remained clearly defined, punctuated by the numerous heated Champions League battles between Chelsea and Liverpool in the ensuing years. He may only have scored once in 34 games against the Blues, but the favourite son of Anfield has proved the architect of their downfall many times.

Lampard, meanwhile, contented himself with adding to his medal collection: three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups and, at long last, a Champions League crown. His haul of 10 major trophies compares favourably to Gerrard’s seven, five of which are domestic cups.

Yet the CVs of both men are worthy testaments to their remarkable careers. Gerrard’s determination almost single-handedly dragged Liverpool to Champions League glory in Istanbul in 2005 and a last-gasp FA Cup triumph over West Ham in 2006. Lampard’s prolific goalscoring from midfield proved vital in all three of Chelsea’s title winning seasons, and his defiance helped bring about the ‘Miracle of Munich’ last May.

Lampard is the highest scoring midfielder in Premier League history, while Gerrard is widely considered the greatest player never to win the trophy. In the light of such astonishing pedigree, it becomes clear that any preference for one over the other is a matter of taste rather than merit.

Age has forced both men to change their games, operating in deeper roles and using mental attributes to compensate for diminishing physical capabilities. The ease with which this transition has been made is plain to see – Gerrard will captain England at next year’s World Cup should they make it, and few would bet against Lampard earning a seat on the plane too.

Brendan Rodgers, despite being initially sceptical, has become so convinced of Gerrard’s enduring worth that he recently suggested his 32-year-old captain could continue his top-level career for another five years. In contrast Lampard, two years his senior, has been deemed surplus to requirements by Chelsea, with LA Galaxy more than interested observers.

But in the short term both men still have plenty to aim for. Gerrard is just two goals shy of 100 Premier League goals, while the same margin separates Lampard from Chelsea’s all-time scoring record. It would be fitting if each could add another feather to his cap on Sunday.

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The Anfield legend feels the Reds forward has made the biggest on-pitch impact, insisting the award does not have to reward “the most morally perfect person”

Former Liverpool star John Barnes feels Luis Suarez should be considered as the favourite to win the PFA Player of the Year award.
The Reds forward was nominated alongside Robin van Persie, Gareth Bale, Juan Mata, Michael Carrick and Eden Hazard for the prize, having netted 22 Premier League goals so far this season.

Some had criticised the Uruguayan’s inclusion due to several off-field controversies but Barnes is adamant that nothing outside of the players’ performances on the pitch should be counted.

“The PFA Player of the Year isn’t about the most morally perfect person so Suarez has every chance of winning,” he told Ian Wright on Absolute Radio‘s ‘Rock N Roll Football’.

“Everything outside of football is minor when you’re judging on the player’s ability.

“Yes, Van Persie has been fantastic but he’s in a great side. If you’re talking about players that have made the most impact for their club and the squad that they are in I would say Suarez has to be a favourite.”

Bale, Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere and Christian Benteke are the nominees for the Young Player of the Year award.