Former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is coming under serious pressure at Panathinaikos, with Igor Biscan in line to take his old manager’s job.
It’s a long time since Benitez was the man in the dugout at Anfield, but he’s still in the management game — for now at least.
Panathinaikos are current sitting in fifth in the Greek Super League, 16 points adrift from the top of the table.
The Spaniard is on the precipice of losing his job, and Biscan is being tipped to take over. The Croatian was part of the same side that famously won the Champions League for Liverpool 20 years ago.
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But it’s not quite over for Benitez yet.
Rafa Benitez can still keep Igor Biscan from replacing him
Patience is running thin with Benitez, but the Greek outfit are not fully decided on dismissing him.
A report from Sport24 outlines how Biscan is the main target to replace him should he fail to win a ‘final’ type game against OFI on Sunday.
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If Benitez can’t get the job done, his position becomes ‘precarious’. Panathinaikos have already ‘made preparations’ for that possible outcome, and it involves swapping out one ex-Red for another.
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Since leaving Liverpool, the 65-year-old hasn’t been the same. His longest stint was three years at Newcastle, but the other seven jobs he had were short and not so sweet.
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Biscan could join an impressive list of coaches who were part of that famous win in Istanbul.
The most successful is Liverpool-linked Xabi Alonso, who won everything in Germany before moving to Real Madrid last summer.
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You also have Steven Gerrard, who won the Scottish Premiership with Rangers and impressed at Villa Park.
Sami Hyypia has also managed Bayer Leverkusen, as well as Brighton and FC Zurich, though he is focused on other things now.
He wasn’t at Liverpool in time for that European win, but Alvaro Arbeloa, who just replaced Alonso at the Bernabeu, played under Benitez as well.
Benitez clearly made an impression on his players to spur them into a coaching career. Not Jamie Carragher, though, who cites the pressure he saw the Spaniard under as a reason to go into punditry instead.
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