Liverpuppeleiden koutsin mielestä seuran rahankeruutalkoot tsämppiliigasta vaarantuvat joka neljäs vuosi pelattavan maailman suurimman urheilutapahtuman vuoksi. Benitez haluaisi muuttaaa MM-kisat Meklareiden liigan tyyppiseksi eliitin tapahtumaksi, johon ei ihan joka maalla olisi asiaa.
WORLD CUP IS TOO LONG - BENITEZRafael Benitez has launched an astonishing attack on the World Cup and claims that it damages the big clubs' chances of success.
The Liverpool manager also insists that there is far more chance of players being injured when they return from major tournaments as their clubs find themselves immediately playing vital Champions League matches that can dictate their future and finances.
Benitez's side take on West Ham on Saturday at Anfield without a clutch of injured stars and with others who played in the World Cup way short of the standards he believes they require.
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Benitez believes a radical change in the World Cup format should take place. He says: "The World Cup is too long, and big clubs lose their players for something like two months.
"They come back from the finals not fit and carrying injuries because they have been playing and working so hard.
"Sure they like playing for their countries, but frankly half the World Cup is not important
"For the first 15 days you are playing teams that do not matter and matches that do not matter. Then after that you have the best teams playing for the trophy in the last couple of weeks.
"To lose players for two months and find them playing build-up friendlies and then games against small countries is too much.
"They return not fit, with injuries, and then they have to play very important club games straight away. At big clubs you must win every game, whenever it is."
He added:
"You must play for big money for Champions League qualification when players are not ready.
"The World Cup must be played by fewer teams, players are being expected to perform too much in poor matches that don't mean anything.
"If you then lose your first club matches, people start to criticise, but you lose those games because you are not fit."
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Elitistinen mulkku, joka haluaisi romuttaa MM-kisa instituution muutaman herkkuisieniliigassa tienattavan juuron takia.
