Considering the current problems at Anfield, this may seem like a ridiculous question to ask. However, what should remembered is that a year or so ago some people were beginning to question Arsene Wenger’s future at Arsenal.
Their records over the last six seasons in the Premiership – since Benitez arrived in England – are amazingly similar, with the Spaniard actually holding the slight edge.
This may surprise some, and this is why I have raised the question.
Now let’s not kid ourselves here, football is all about what is happening in the moment, and there is no doubt that Liverpool have had a poor season. But they may well still finish the season with a trophy, something Arsenal have not achieved for five years.
In the time since Arsenal won the FA Cup in 2005, Liverpool have won three trophies and are clear favourites to win another.
The Gunners have also been involved in two title races during this time, while Liverpool have been involved in only one. But (this season included) both clubs have finished above each other three times.
Benitez’s average points total is slightly higher that Wenger’s during this period (he averages 75 points a season compared to Wenger’s 74). This is despite the fact that he has been a manager in the Premiership for eight years less than the Frenchman.
Crucially you may think, Wenger has captured three league titles in England, including two domestic doubles, but does that give him the edge?
I believe, we as football fans, are quite insular in this country and think the Premiership is the ‘be all and end all’ of European football. This is not the case, and when you look just how far Real Madrid and Barcelona are ahead of the rest in La liga this season, Benitez's achievements when he was manager of Valencia look even more remarkable.
In three seasons at the Mestella, Benitez guided the club to two league titles, defeating the Galactico’s at Real Madrid and the superstars at Barcelona in the process.
The Spaniard has also won two European trophies, whereas Wenger is still yet to win one, although in his defence, he has lost three finals in his 23 years as a manager.
But since Jose Mourinho came to Chelsea in 2004 - and began to spend Roman Abramovich’s endless millions - Arsenal have not won the league and have only finished in the top two once. Wenger has been unable to crack the so called ‘big two’.
Some of you may argue that the same flaw applies to Benitez. But the Arsenal boss has three league titles behind him and vast experience of the Premiership. Has he ever so slightly lost his magic?
Is football at the highest level about winning trophies, or is it about playing swift attacking football and bringing through young players? All three would be ‘utopoia’ but it must surely be a debate which is split between the Emirates faithful.
No one is suggesting that Wenger should be sacked, but considering how many trophies he won with players he inherited from the George Graham generation, the squad's that he himself has built have not lived up to the same standards. How long are we going to have to wait until these ‘young’ players finally deliver some silverware? Is being ‘close’ good enough in this day and age?
Of course, Wenger has been rightly lauded for his ability to buy players on the cheap and nurture them into world class players. He is a master at this and probably the best around.
Patrick Viera, Nicolas Anelka and Emmanuel Adebayor are just three examples of players bought for very little money and sold on for a huge profit. Marc Overmars and Thierry Henry (the unboubted crown in the jewel) were players who were bought and sold on for a very healthy profit. While in the current side, Cesc Fabregas, was plucked from the Barcelona youth system at a very young age in the early 2000s, and is now one of the world’s best midfielders.
But, I am also of the opinion that Benitez has made some excellent bargain signings too.
Despite his well publicised failures in the transfer market – of which many have been sold on for a profit – the Liverpool boss has also discovered some absolute gems.
Pepe Reina was bought for 6 million pounds when he was still a youngster at Villarreal, and is now one of the top three goalkeepers in the world. Fernando Torres was bought for 20 million pounds, and many people at the time questioned whether or not this was good value. How much is he worth now? 50 million?
There is Yossi Benayoun too, who was bought for a mere 4 million, but at the end of last season and before his injury this season he was being hailed as one of the most creative players in the Premier League. How much has his value increased? Three fold? And Xabi Alonso was also a great bit of business. He was bought for 10 million and sold on for a 20 million pound profit five years later.
Of course, Liverpool are weaker without Alonso, but Arsenal have never really recovered from losing Viera either have they?
Another factor that has to be taken into account between the two managers is their age. There is more than ten years difference between the two managers, Arsene Wenger being 60, while Benitez is actually celebrating his 50th birthday today. Yet, Benitez has one two more European trophies than Wenger and two less league titles. It’s not a huge difference for such a large age gap is it?
However, Wenger is so often deemed untouchable by the English press and Benitez is often perceived to be a bit of a joke. Is this really fair? He is one of the world’s top coaches, without a doubt.
In Wenger’s defence again, he claims to have had very little money to spend in the last few years, or has he?
We never actually seem to know the answer to this question. The former Monaco boss has a degree in Economics and has he just become obsessed with running the club as a business and demonstrating his powers of negotiation more than winning trophies? Could he do a little more in the transfer market?
Sure, Rafael Benitez has spent more money, but he has also had to deal with horrific issues at boardroom level for two or three years now. That he still almost managed to capture the league title last season under these restrictions is verging on a miracle, but does he get much credit? No.
Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, has pretty much been left with the freedom to run his club how he wants to, but there is no doubt he has struggled a little since his chief ally in dealing with transfers - David Dein – departed the Emirates.
One question is, if you could inherit Arsenal or Liverpool right now, which team would you inherit? The answer of course, would be Arsenal on current form. However, one year ago, many would have said Liverpool. Football can change so quickly, so who knows what the answer will be in one year’s time.
The main reason I have raised this debate is because I do feel Rafael Benitez gets a very rough ride from the press in England. They are so vindictive towards him, despite the fact he may just be about to reach his fourth European final in six years.
Yes, the Merseyside club have had a poor season and Benitez has been criticised for the lack of strength in his squad. He has also been very heavily criticised for having only one out and out, injury prone striker at his disposal. But is this his fault? Are his hands tied? Did he have the money to spend on a striker?
I don’t think the question about which of these two is the better manager has such an obvious answer. Like it or not, these days trophies mean everything at the highest level of modern day football.
I often hear journalists and fans say ‘How long is Benitez going to live off Istanbul 2005?’ However the same could also be said of Wenger and his 2004 team of invincibles. How many of those players still remain at the club?
People can rightly point to Arsenal’s youth set up, but remember that Liverpool’s youth team (closely supervised by Benitez) won back to back Youth Cup's in 2006 and 2007 and also reached the final in 2009, where they were defeated by Arsenal.
Will we see the fruits of these Liverpool teams coming to fruition in the next two seasons just like Arsenal's? Who knows?
The conclusion I come to is that I would probably rather Wenger was my manager in the Premiership (although Benitez’s record does compare favourably while they have both been Premiership managers), mainly due to Wenger’s record in the Premiership in an overall sense, and not in the last six years.
In European competition, however, you would have to choose Benitez. His record in both the Champions League and the UEFA/Europa tournaments is quite exceptional for such a short career in management at the top level.
In fact, if you wanted to point to evidence concerning head to head Champions League clashes between the two managers, I believe it reads quite significant viewing. The two managers have met four times in the Champions League, and Wenger has never managed a winning side. On both occasions, Benitez's team's knocked Arsenal out of the Champions League. This occurred once with Valencia in 2003 and also when Liverpool eliminated at the quarter final stage two seasons ago.
This again reinforces Benitez's European pedigree, and whether or not you believe European football to be important or not, his record in such competition is superb.
Last year it was reported that Benitez and Wenger were Real Madrid’s top two choices to take over as boss. If that’s the case, it’s obviously a very hard one to call just who is the better boss.
Maybe we should analyse Benitez’s record in ten year’s time, then perhaps we can finally get a clear answer, once and for all.
By the way, as a journalist who doesn't dislike Benitez as much as most others appear to. Happy Birthday to you Rafa!
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