Rafa: Why I moved Carra to the middle
Rafael Benitez has paid tribute to the retiring Jamie Carragher and explained the reasons behind his decision nine years ago to transform the No.23 into a centre-back.
Carragher had operated with distinction as a full-back prior to Benitez's arrival at the club in 2004.
One of the Spaniard's first decisions was to pair the Scouse defender with Sami Hyypia at the heart of Liverpool's defence - and the duo went on to become the impregnable base of our Champions League and FA Cup successes in the years that followed.
In an interview for our new 'Carragher' documentary, Benitez revealed the decision to shift the now legendary defender's position was made before he arrived on Merseyside.
"We knew the team because we played with Valencia against Liverpool," he said.
"We had a lot of reports and we knew he could maybe be better as a centre-back, because of his techniques, his physical condition and because of his reading of the game.
"Playing alongside Sami Hyypia proved to be a very good partnership because they complemented each other.
"Sami was very good in the air, and Carra was always controlling the defence."
Benitez believes Carragher's attitude and character was instrumental in the success he enjoyed during a six-year tenure at Anfield.
"He shows such character and that's an example for the young kids," said the now Chelsea boss.
"He's very competitive, he's always trying to win. This was a great message - especially to local players coming from the Academy.
"He was important for the team and for me as a manager because he worked very hard in every training session.
"In six years we were in a lot of finals and situations where you had to show this character.
"In Istanbul you now have all the images of him on the floor with cramp, and this is the type of character you are looking for from your players."
A new documentary featuring Jamie Carragher's managers, teammates and some high-profile opponents airs for the first time at 7pm BST on Friday, May 24 on LFC TV. 'Carragher' will also be available on LFC TV Online and will conclude a fortnight of tributes across club media.
