Benitez starts 'perfect' job at Inter

(AP)

Rafael Benitez yesterday described his new job as manager of Internazionale as "perfect" – and well he might. After receiving a £4m pay-off from Liverpool as reward for guiding the club to seventh in the Premier League, the club's lowest finish since 1999, Benitez has walked into one of the best jobs in Europe, replacing Jose Mourinho at the reigning European and Italian champions.

"It was difficult to leave Liverpool after six years, I had amazing times there," the 50-year-old said yesterday as he was unveiled to the media. "It was a really sad day when I had to go but things changed so it was obvious I had to do it. I needed to move and I had the perfect opportunity to come to Inter. I hope it will be perfect for me and perfect for Inter."

Benitez denied claims he had lost the support of senior players during the final weeks of his reign at Liverpool, and said he had been in touch with Steven Gerrard, a player that many Italians believe he will now try to sign.

"I have been in contact with the majority of players and the majority said thanks for everything and all the best," said Benitez. "I talked to Gerrard when it was his birthday and he's fine. He wants to talk about the World Cup now, not anything else. I wished them all good luck for the World Cup. Now they're all focused on that."

Benitez, who has signed a two-year deal with Inter, will start his new job with the goodwill of the club's fans, not least because his Liverpool team came from 3-0 down to beat their city rivals Milan in the 2005 Champions League final. Many Inter supporters are also upset that Mourinho took some of the gloss off their Champions League victory by walking out to join Real Madrid.

Benitez, who had a bitter rivalry with Mourinho when the Portuguese coach was at Chelsea, said he planned to improve Inter, even though the club has just enjoyed the most successful season in Italian football history. The domestic media have portrayed Benitez as the antidote to Mourinho's bombastic regime, but the Spaniard resisted the urge to play along with the idea. He did promise, however, that his Inter would play better football than the boring, defensive system that Mourinho devised to conquer Europe.

"I don't think I am the anti-Mourinho but I am different," he said. "It's hard to improve a winning team, but we are looking at everything. I am here because I am intelligent. We can win six trophies this year. I have experience, but we have to work hard because we have tough games in August.

"I am different to Mourinho. I have the mentality of winning [with] good football. I think the players are good, and like playing good football. We'll try to win playing good football but what's most important is winning."