Italian midfielder Thiago Motta is the player that England should be most wary of in their Euro 2012 quarter-final on Sunday, said former Liverpool and Inter coach Rafael Benitez on Saturday.
The 52-year-old Spaniard – who guided Liverpool to two Champions League finals winning the 2005 edition – wrote in his column for ‘The Independent’ he believed Mario Balotelli - who like Motta was at Inter when Benitez arrived in June 2010 – would be fine despite his volatile temperament.
“It would be some result for England to beat their opponents tomorrow evening (Sunday in Kiev) and while everyone has been talking about Andrea Pirlo, you should look out for Thiago Motta,” said Benitez, whose troubled reign at Inter lasted six months as he was sacked days after winning the 2010 World Club Cup paying the price for a poor start to the defence of the Serie A title won under Jose Mourinho.
“Believe me, Motta can play.
“He played for me, when I was managing Internazionale, and against me, in Barcelona’s team versus our Liverpool side in the game we won 2-1 in the Nou Camp on the way to the 2007 Champions League final (where they lost to Milan).
“I’ll never forget how Motta was substituted before an hour of that game had passed in Catalonia, because things were not so difficult for my own team in midfield after he had left the field.”
Benitez, who had taken the Inter post in June 2010 just a few days after he had been sacked as Liverpool manager after a six year reign, said that the 29-year-old Brazil-born Motta. who left Inter for French giants Paris Saint Germain last season, was the most rounded of all the Italian midfielders.
“Motta is left-footed, good in the air, not fast, but he passes the ball so very well. His left foot is really very, very good.
“I knew him from Barcelona when he was young, breaking into the team at the time when I was managing Valencia, and though he was born in Brazil he fitted in very well with the other players.
“You want to hear Pepe Reina (Liverpool and Spain goalkeeper) talking about his time at the Barcelona academy, working with Motta, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Mikel Arteta!
“When I first arrived at Inter, Motta was injured, but when he came back he did really well for us. He was a quality player in our midfield – our Pirlo, if you like.”