A Season on the Brink A Portrait of Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool – Fully Updated 20th Anniversary Edition

<p><b><i>PRE-ORDER RISE OF THE VILLANS, GUILLEM BALAGUE''S </i></b><b><i>NEW BOOK, NOW</i></b><b><i>. OUT 25 SEPTEMBER</i></b><br><b><i><br>______________________________</i></b><br><br><br>''<b>ENTHRALLING</b>'' <i>FourFourTwo</i><br>''<b>STIRRING</b>'' <i>Dublin Herald</i><br>''<b>FASCINATING</b>'' <i>Red and White Kop</i><br>''<b>ASTONISHING</b>'' <i>Bleacher Report</i><br><br><b>The <i>Sunday Times</i> Bestseller</b><br><b><br><i>Twentieth anniversary edition, fully updated with a new foreword from Rafael Benitez</i></b><br><br>When Rafael Benitez was appointed manager of under-achieving Liverpool at the start of the 2004-05 season, the reaction of many fans was ''Who the **** is Rafael Benitez?''. After a wonderful spell at Valencia, the Spaniard arrived to take over Liverpool''s famous Boot Room, determined to change the club''s fortunes and win over a disillusioned Kop.<br><br> In just one season, Benitez''s importation of Spanish players, coaching methods and diet led to a revolution, usurping José Mourinho''s Chelsea to reach the European Champions League final in Istanbul. It was a match that would go down in history as one of the greatest of all time. <br><br>At half-time, Liverpool were 3-0 down to Carlo Ancelotti''s AC Milan, a team many regarded as the best in the world, filled with stars such as Paolo Maldini, Kaká and Andrea Pirlo. However, against all the odds, Liverpool produced a stunning comeback, with goals from club captain Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Šmicer and Xabi Alonso, before a dramatic penalty shoot-out saw the Reds clinch European glory. <br><br><b>Featuring exclusive interviews with Benitez himself, assistant manager Pako Ayestarán and key first-team players, this is the behind-the-scenes story of Rafa''s remarkable success with Liverpool.</b></p>