10 Liverpool Players Who Fell Out With The Manager

4. Albert Riera

Rafa Benitez was known to be a cold manager during his time at Anfield, keeping the players at an arms€™ length. It was this impersonal approach that led to the Spaniard falling out with several members of his squad, including Spanish winger Albert Riera. Having signed from Espanyol in 2008 for £6 million, the Spaniard grew weary of Benitez€™ lack of communication, and his struggles for game-time with a World Cup on the horizon.

''He۪s never sorted out a situation with a player by talking with him. I would like to spend my whole career here, but we players live to play. My aim is to go to the World Cup and for this I have to be playing. When the coach says nothing to you and you are well, with no physical problems and training well, you cannot help but think it must be something personal. If I۪m doing something badly and you are my boss, and you value me, then you are going to come and tell me what I have to do to play again. This is what hurts me. He thinks he۪s in charge and everything else falls on deaf ears. His dialogue with the players is practically nil.۪۪ - Albert Riera, March 2010.

This scathing attack resulted in the former Espanyol winger being suspended and fined by the club, before being offloaded to Greek side Olympiakos at the end of the season.