Panathinaikos FC's Cedric Kante (L) battles for the ball with Inter Milan Samuel Eto'o during the first half of their friendly soccer match in Toronto, August 3, 2010.MARK BLINCH/Reuters
Give Rafa Benitez credit - loath as some on Merseyside might be to do so - he's not one to back down from a challenge.
After six years in charge of Liverpool, where, despite Champions League and FA Cup successes in his first two seasons, the manager ultimately failed in his quest to revive the flagging fortunes of a European giant, Benitez has moved on to another in the shape of Inter Milan.
While the press was often hard on him in England, especially in the last couple of years, it won't get any easier in Italy. On top of that, he now faces the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of the self-styled Special One, Jose Mourinho, who bolted for the riches of Real Madrid after leading Inter to the most special campaign in the club's 102-year history - last season's treble of Champions League, Serie A and Italian Cup titles.
It is in many ways a no-win situation. Even in the unlikely instance that Benitez can inspire Inter to defend all three trophies, he will have done it with Mourinho's players, while anything less than another treble and the team will be seen to have taken a step backward.
Still, the Spaniard, who watched his club suffer a 3-2 preseason defeat to Greek champions Panathinaikos in front of a sparse crowd at Rogers Centre Tuesday night, seems unperturbed by this prospect.
"You have to also give credit to the players, because for years they had been winning already," Benitez said of the five-time defending Italian champions in an interview with Sports Illustrated last week. "They were winning with [former coach Roberto]Mancini, they were winning with Mourinho, so credit to them. We have the majority of players still, so if we can keep winning, for me it means that, yes, the club is strong enough. It's not talking about if you win, it was [solely because of]the manager or the coach. The players will play a key part in this situation."
In that regard Benitez certainly hit the jackpot. While he was forced to rely - too heavily at times - on Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard during his time with Liverpool at Anfield, Inter possesses quality throughout the lineup.
Players such as Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder, who, up until the World Cup final barely put a foot wrong last season, striker Samuel Eto'o and centre back Lucio would walk into any side in world soccer, and certainly give Benitez reason for optimism.
And Eto'o, who scored Inter's first goal in Tuesday night's defeat, is already singing the praises of his new boss. The Cameroon international is unhappy that he was played in a wide role by Mourinho in his first season in Milan after coming over from Barcelona, and believes his goal-scoring abilities suffered as a result.
"I do not know how many goals [I]scored last season," said Eto'o, who actually found the net 15 times in 47 appearances. "If I do not reach the 25-goal mark, then I am not interested in such statistics. I do not even think about it."
Last season you could see that Eto'o was in good shape, but he was not in his place, but he sacrificed himself for Mourinho. Now he will sacrifice himself for the team and will help Benitez, he deserves it.
For Benitez, the challenge remains in trying to alter Inter's style of play, moving away from the slightly dour tactics of Mourinho's teams.
"I would like us to play better, with the team further up the pitch and able to hold on to the ball for longer," he said. "The team asked me for this, though it won't be easy to achieve."
Based on his track record, Benitez wouldn't want it any other way.