A Season on the Brink
ByPublisher Description
'ENTHRALLING' FourFourTwo
'STIRRING' Dublin Herald
'FASCINATING' Red and White Kop
'ASTONISHING' Bleacher Report
The Sunday Times Bestseller
Twentieth anniversary edition, fully updated with a new foreword from Rafael Benitez
When Rafael Benitez was appointed manager of under-achieving Liverpool at the start of the 2004-05 season, the reaction of many fans was 'Who the **** is Rafael Benitez?'. After a wonderful spell at Valencia, the Spaniard arrived to take over Liverpool's famous Boot Room, determined to change the club's fortunes and win over a disillusioned Kop.
In just one season, Benitez's importation of Spanish players, coaching methods and diet led to a revolution, usurping José Mourinho's Chelsea to reach the European Champions League final in Istanbul. It was a match that would go down in history as one of the greatest of all time.
At half-time, Liverpool were 3-0 down to Carlo Ancelotti's AC Milan, a team many regarded as the best in the world, filled with stars such as Paolo Maldini, Kaká and Andrea Pirlo. However, against all the odds, Liverpool produced a stunning comeback, with goals from club captain Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Šmicer and Xabi Alonso, before a dramatic penalty shoot-out saw the Reds clinch European glory.
Featuring exclusive interviews with Benitez himself, assistant manager Pako Ayestarán and key first-team players, this is the behind-the-scenes story of Rafa's remarkable success with Liverpool.
Download the free Fable app
Stay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
Rate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
Curate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesStay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building toolRate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tagsCurate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesA Season on the Brink Reviews
About Guillem Balague
Guillem Balagué is an award-winning author, football journalist and presenter who works for BBC TV, BBC Radio 5 Live, ITV, LaLiga TV and the American network CBS.
His books include A Season on the Brink; Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning; Messi; Cristiano Ronaldo; Brave New World: Inside Pochettino's Spurs; Maradona: The Boy, The Rebel, The God; Rise of the Villans: Inside Unai Emery's Aston Villa Revolution and Barça Captains: The Leaders That Built the World's Greatest Football Club. Several of Guillem's books have been Sunday Times bestsellers in the UK, and shortlisted for various book awards.
He is also chairman of Biggleswade United.
Start a Book Club
Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!FAQ
Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?
Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?
How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?
Do you sell physical books too?
Are book clubs free to join on Fable?
How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?
