Rafa Benitez pulled zero punches talking about his former players Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa heading into their big manager showdown, but his honesty brought a former Seattle Sounders assistant coach, Djimi Traore, right into the spotlight too! Benitez isn’t shy, and his take on these two going head-to-head in the Premier League, plus a wild Champions League tidbit about our very own Traore, is peak sports drama.
Old Teammates, New Rivals: The Benitez Lowdown
Almost twenty years after Benitez first brought Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa together at Anfield, these two are about to face off as opposing Premier League managers. Arbeloa’s Fulham will host Alonso’s Chelsea on Monday, and this isn’t just any game; it’s their first managerial clash in England’s top flight. Benitez, who signed Alonso for Liverpool in 2004 and Arbeloa in 2007, was brutally honest about who he expected to see in the manager’s box. “Alonso, yes. Arbeloa, not really,” he said, adding, “For me, Arbeloa was a surprise.” These guys weren’t just teammates; they won the 2010 World Cup and two European Championships with Spain, plus domestic league and cup triumphs at Real Madrid. They played together for seven years at club level, sharing the pitch 262 times for club and country. Their bond is real too, with Arbeloa calling them “very good friends,” even though they’re “rivals when the game starts.” They even spoke before Monday’s match about anything but football.
Alonso’s Vision vs. Arbeloa’s Rise
The paths these two have taken to the Premier League manager’s chair are pretty different, and Benitez laid it out. Alonso, he said, had “vision” on the pitch and was “always thinking.” You can see it in his coaching career too, with success in the Bundesliga at Bayer Leverkusen, winning a league and cup double in 2024. Benitez credits Alonso’s playing days under legends like Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Vicente del Bosque, and Pep Guardiola for opening his mind. He even recalled a 2009 game against Blackburn where Alonso ignored an instruction on a free-kick, delivering the ball to the near post for Fernando Torres to score his second goal in a 4-0 win. That’s football intelligence right there! Arbeloa’s journey was more unexpected. He was promoted from Real Madrid B to replace Alonso when he was sacked by the Spanish giants last season. While Arbeloa “knows the Premier League,” Benitez noted his “experience is shorter than Xabi’s.” He questions how Arbeloa will “cope outside Real Madrid, which protects you in a way. Outside, you are on your own.” Both returned to England in July for these roles, and their clubs are a mere two miles apart, with their families even living close by and their kids attending the same school.
A Sounders Legend’s Champions League Flashback!
Now, for us Seattle faithful, here’s where it gets good! Benitez didn’t just talk about Alonso and Arbeloa. He reeled off more than 20 names of former Liverpool players who became coaches or managers, and guess who made the list? Our very own Djimi Traore, currently an assistant coach for the Seattle Sounders! Benitez even recalled sending Traore to the shower at half-time during a Champions League match. Can you imagine the intensity of that moment? It just goes to show you the kind of legendary figures that have passed through Benitez’s teams, including those who’ve made their way to the Emerald City.
As Alonso’s Chelsea and Arbeloa’s Fulham prepare for their Monday showdown, we’ll be watching to see how Arbeloa handles being “on his own” against his good friend. And let’s be real, seeing Djimi Traore mentioned in such an iconic way by Benitez just makes us even prouder of our Sounders assistant coach here in Seattle! What a wild ride these football careers are!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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