Summary: Liverpool - Luton 1:4/Sport1
Liverpool and Chelsea will meet this evening (Sunday) at Wembley for the League Cup final (17:00 Sport1) and in England they held a special interview with a footballer who played for both prestigious clubs - Yossi Benyon.
The former Israeli star was asked about the reasons why he left Liverpool for Chelsea, who he thinks is the right coach for Liverpool after the Jurgen Klopp era, and also about the problems he had at Chelsea.
"Liverpool was special for me, the three best years of my life," Beniol told the Daily Mail, "I enjoyed it a lot, the people there are good. I felt it was the right place for me and my family and as a player."
Exactly 15 years since the unforgettable goal at the Bernabeu.
Benion/GettyImages
Bennion, who just today celebrates the 15th anniversary of his legendary goal in the Bernabeu against Real Madrid in the Champions League, says that he would be happy to return as his new profession as a sporting director.
But who will be the coach?
"For me it has to be someone with a connection and identity to Liverpool," says Bannion.
"If they can bring in someone like Xavi Alonso, or - and this might be a surprise - someone like Steven Gerrard, one of them will continue what Klopp has built because he knows the club.
"Xavi is a good friend of mine and I can understand Why people are talking about him as Liverpool manager.
It didn't work well at Aston Villa for Stevie, but he did a great job in Scotland.
He deserves a chance to be a coach at Liverpool for what he has done in his career.
"If they bring in the right person, Liverpool can build on the stability that Klopp has built over the last nine years. There is no need to replace 35 players. OK, some players may go but top players will always want to come to Liverpool.
"Now they are fighting for titles and Klopp is the main man, But it's a big club, they have the facilities and the conditions to continue being a big club."
And what's going on at Chelsea? "Since Roman Abramovich left, the situation is very difficult," Bennion said. "It's like taking your daughter to a candy store and she says she wants Everything. You buy her all the sweets, but at the end of the day her stomach hurts.
"Just because you have money doesn't mean you buy them all.
You need to build a team and right now they have lost their way.
There must be one clear voice.
You bring in the right sporting director and you trust him.
'If you trust him, he should be the only voice.
If there are too many views then you lose everything.
Tuchel left after only a few games, then they bring in Potter, and decide he's not the right man, so they bring in Pochettino.
It doesn't work that way.
"In the first months they wanted to show that they are in the market; 'This player...Liverpool and Real Madrid want him - OK, we will offer £120 million'. This does not bring success. Look at Newcastle - they have money but I don't see them buying them all.
"Chelsea need to stop, think and relax about spending money.
You might have the right player by investing £15m or £20m."
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Building in Chelsea/GettyImages, Scott Heavey
Banyon's connections in the Premier League opened doors to his new career as a sporting director after his retirement in 2019.
He lists the people he can trust.
"Frank Lampard, Alonso, Gerrard. Fernando Torres, who coaches at Atlético Madrid, we are best friends," he says.
"Pepa Reina, who is still playing, Alvaro Arbeloa, who is coaching at Real Madrid. We are in a good relationship.
"I have been in great dressing rooms, great guys.
The fact that we remain friends means a lot.
I use these contacts, it's part of the job to be successful.
I have completed my dream as a player, playing in England was unbelievable for me.
West Ham, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal.
I couldn't even dream of playing in these clubs.
Now it's the same.
My dream is to return to England because it is the best culture for football.
This is my ambition."
Bennion talked about the problems he had under Rafa Benitez. "I understand that maybe he tried to motivate us, but sometimes you have to understand how much you can tell a player that he is not going to defend or how much noise you can make in the dressing room," said Bennion. We had some problems, it went into the dressing room and it worked against us.
A coach needs to know which people to bring to him... this is what Rafa was missing, because Rafa is a great coach on the field, tactically one of the best.
He improved the players.
"But his relationship with the players, you need someone to help. We didn't have that at the time."
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