Rafa Benitez confesses he took managerial lessons from Alex Ferguson, Claudio Ranieri and Fabio Capello
Newcastle boss prepares to take on his former No2, Southampton chief Mauricio Pellegrino - and reveals the big names he visited to study coaching, including arch rival Fergie
RAFA BENITEZ has revealed the shock name who once gave him a helping hand . . . Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Newcastle chief today faces Mauricio Pellegrino, who he bossed at Valencia and Liverpool before making him his No 2 at Anfield and Inter Milan.
Benitez knows it is impossible to surprise his former student having shared so many secrets with him over the years.
But the Spaniard, 57, has no regrets about that because he picked big-name managers’ brains as an up-and-coming coach.
And one of the legends he once shadowed was Fergie — who ended up being his greatest rival when he landed the Liverpool job back in 2004.
An out-of-work Benitez went to watch Manchester United train in 2000.
Ahead of Toon’s trip to Pellegrino’s Saints today, Benitez said: “When I was a young manager, I travelled the world watching different ways to do things in different countries.
“I came to see Sir Alex for a week and Steve McClaren was his assistant.
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“Before that, I went to Italy to follow Arrigo Sacchi at AC Milan, who were the best team in the world at the time.
“Then I was watching Claudio Ranieri and Fabio Capello, too.
“I’d watch everything and take notes all the time. When I was back in Spain I worked with Vicente Del Bosque — I was his No 2 at Real Madrid.
“It’s about seeing different people, different approaches. Once I watched Tony Pulis for a few days when he was at Stoke.
“I was open-minded to learn and it’s good to be like that.”
Studious Pellegrino, 46, appears to be cut from the same cloth as his old master.
And Benitez added: “He likes to study and learn. When I was at Valencia, we had a group of Argentina players and after lunch they’d talk football for hours.
“In Valencia’s defence, he was so vocal and was always advising others.
“You could see from the beginning he would be a coach.
“I think he is doing a proper job at Southampton.”
Now Benitez is plotting how to get one over Pellegrino.
But he admitted: “The problem is that when someone was your assistant and you want to surprise them, they know everything about you!”
The Magpies have lost their last four games at St Mary’s, conceding 13 and scoring one.
But Benitez said: “You can see we have a bad record, but everything is different now. And hopefully the score will be different this time.”
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