by Inter Milan boss Rafa Benitez is finally stamping his authority on European champions Inter Milan after turning them into a side capable of enduring a 3-1 humiliation against Tottenham Hotspur.
After inheriting a team which had won just about everything there is to win in the sport, many commentators were unsure whether Benitez’s unique brand of buffoonery could have any impact on such a finely-tuned hugely-successful footballing unit.
However last night’s result has shown that after just three months his influence is already being felt throughout the side.
Italian football expert Massimo Williams told us, “Many were sceptical that Rafa could successfully bring his special brand of football management to Italy, but this latest result shows that he can do that, and more.”
“We shouldn’t read too much into one result, and remember it was against an English team – a team from a league in which he has significant track record of underachievement – but it appears he is finally doing the job most people thought he would.”
Inter Milan defeat
There were signs two weeks ago that his Inter side were finally succumbing to his influence after a late capitulation saw them scrape a 4-3 win against Spurs, but there were still significant periods in which his team looked like they knew what they were doing.
Williams continued, “Last night was the first time we’ve seen Inter put together more than 45 minutes of what experts would call a ‘Rafa Benitez performance’. We’ve seen flashes of it up to now, but not that level of consistently disappointing performance.”
“It had Rafa Benitez written all over it.”
After an evening of celebration Tottenham fans have come crashing back to earth with a bump this morning after realising that all they have done, really, is beat a team managed by Rafa Benitez. Rafa. Benitez.
