Leader

When I come to think of Rafael Benítez, the story of Xiang Yu (項羽) keeps flashing across my mind.

Well, I don't think I need to elaborate the campaign between Xiang and Liu Bang (劉邦). The very point is, not only was Xiang's side much stronger at the beginning, many of the Liu's crucial helper came from Xiang. Notably,

• Han Xin (韓信) was originally a junior soldier of Xiang's side. (The classical record was Han used to hold the halberd for Xiang Yu; so called "執戟郎".) He turned out to be, in my opinion, the best military leader in the history of China.
• Chen Ping (陳平) began as the political advisor of Xiang; his excellent planning saved Liu's life no fewer than five times.
• Ing Bu (英布), Zhou Yin (周殷), Lu Ma Tung (呂馬童), and Shusun Tong (叔孫通) all started as subordinates of Xiang, but they left for Liu's side one after another.

And, worst of all, being loyal was to little avail. Fan Zang (范增) was a life-long friend of Xiang's family, and, in modern terms, the chief military advisor of the King of Western Chu (西楚霸王). Suspected of bribery (based on a rumor ingeniously spread by Chen Ping), Fan was fired and sent home with no pension - he died soon afterwards at his home town because of, in modern medical terms, carbuncle.

Alas, Chinese has a long history of voting by their legs.