{"product_id":"a-season-on-the-brink","title":"A Season on the Brink","description":"Review\n\nAn enthralling, revelatory account of a game that will be remembered forever ― FOURFOURTWO\n\nFascinating, stirring stuff ― DUBLIN HERALD\n\nProduct Description\n\nBiographical Portrait of Liverpool's Spanish football manager Rafael Benitez and an extraordinary season for the club.\n\nWhen Rafael Benitez was appointed manager of under-achieving Liverpool at the start of the 2004-2005 season, the reaction of many fans was 'Who the **** is Rafael Benitez?'. The Liverpool fans had grown used to French manager Gerard Houllier but he had been a fan of the club himself since his days as a teacher on Merseyside. A Spaniard with admittedly a wonderful record at Valencia was going to take over management of Liverpool's famous Boot Room and try and win over a disillusioned Kop.\n\nBut in one season, Benitez's importation of Spanish players, coaching methods and diet has led to a revolution, even usurping Jose Mourinho's Chelsea, whereby the team has ended the season winning the ultimate trophy for any European club - the European Champions League. No fan will ever forget the comeback from a 3-0 deficit to a 3-3 scoreline, then dramatic success in the penalty shoot-out.\n\nThis is the story of Rafa's remarkable success.\n\nBook Description\n\nThe fascinating insight into Liverpool's Spanish football manager Rafael Benitez and an extraordinary season for the club.\n\nAbout the Author\n\nGuillem Balague is a Spanish football journalist, prizewinning author and pundit, first for Sky Sports and now for BBC Radio 5 Live. He is the author of A SEASON ON THE BRINK - A PORTRAIT OF RAFA BENITEZ'S LIVERPOOL (2006); the first biography of PEP GUARDIOLA (2012); MESSI (2013); CRISTIANO RONALDO (2015), the Football Book of the Year at the Cross Sports Book Awards; and the bestselling Brave New World - INSIDE POCHETTINO'S SPURS (2017). He is chairman of non-league Biggleswade FC, and lives in Hitchin in Hertfordshire.\n\nhttp:\/\/www.guillembalague.com\/en\/home\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/GuillemBalague\n\nhttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/guillembalague","brand":"Orion Publishing Co","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40242216337493,"sku":"9780752879369N","price":11.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2481\/5790\/products\/4e7e14bd-7717-460a-a11d-77f94c4661fb.jpg?v=1660638181","url":"https:\/\/smeikalbooks.co.uk\/en-us\/products\/a-season-on-the-brink","provider":"smeikalbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}