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Former Liverpool star Andrea Dossena has admitted the Merseyside weather proved tough to adjust to, but says the thrill of stepping out at Anfield more than made up for it.
Dossena spent a season and a half on Merseyside after arriving at Liverpool in 2008 under Rafael Benitez, later revealing that Tottenham Hotspur had shown interest, though he never quite replicated the form he had produced previously in Italy with Hellas Verona and Udinese.
Struggling to cope with the intensity of the Premier League, the former full-back featured 31 times across two campaigns, scoring just twice, albeit in memorable fashion against Manchester United and Real Madrid, before returning to Italy with a move to Napoli in 2010.
In his only full season at Anfield, the Reds mounted a strong title challenge to finish second, just behind Manchester United, with Benitez delivering on the pitch despite ongoing issues behind the scenes with the club’s hierarchy.
Dossena acknowledged the challenges of settling in Liverpool, citing the city’s persistent rain and blustery conditions as factors that made adaptation difficult.
However, he said the matchday experience at Anfield more than made up for those struggles, outweighing the challenges beyond it.
The 44-year-old told Italian outlet Calciomercato.com: “A city in which it was not easy to settle in, also because of the always rainy and breezy climate.
Club played for
Hellas Verona Treviso
Udinese Liverpool
Napoli Palermo
Sunderland Leyton Orient
Chiasson Piacenza
“But those two hours inside the stadium repaid the external difficulties.”
When asked about working under the Spanish manager, Dossena painted Benitez as an exacting and detail-driven figure whose entire focus was fixed on football.
“Very precise and meticulous.
“He only talked about football, that was his world.”
Following his Liverpool stint, Dossena went on to enjoy a solid run back in Italy, making more than 100 Serie A appearances across several clubs and lifting the Coppa Italia with Napoli in 2012.
The 10-cap Italy international later made a short-lived return to the Premier League with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in 2013, a switch he took on with clear enthusiasm.