2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[Villa_Fan]

What do you think of Bunedia? Every time I watch him he's garbage. We would probably have beaten you if he started against us. You got ripped off by Norwich.

I don't know yet, showed some glimpses but Smith is making a pigs ass of team selection and playing players out of position. At the moment Buendia looks like a 5m player. I am hoping our new manager (hopeful with international break coming soon) and make him look like he was worth about 2/3 what we paid

 

[MikeH72]

I am getting Aston Villa vibes from us, in the years before they went down. Used to be challenging top six, made bad signings, never replaced quality, went into managed decline, even got in a manager who managed their rivals until the inevitable happened when you keep slipping down the league.

Yes. One of these years we’ll just finish rock bottom with about 18 points, almost out of the blue after years of finishing around 14th.

 

[Gilbert..]

Good to see Raffa bringing his Newcastle tactics to Merseyside. He'll be bidding for Jonjo Shelvey next to complete his masterplan!

First half was newcastle united under him through and through.
The lets just try and stay compact. Not concede. Wolves absolutely pounced on that like a lion on a gazelle.
It was all so very benitez.

 

[jinkyali]

No guarantee things improve even if he does go. Who do we bring in, hand this squad, facing the upcoming fixtures, and expect to do better? Things have been bad for years now.

This is my worry.
The squad is so average. It screams relegation battle.

 

[LinekersLegs]

Even if he gets players back fit and some investment in the window can’t see us getting anywhere if we continue to use zonal marking.

 

[BlueToff]

Maybe not miles but anything is better than the dross served up last year.

It was dross with a purpose though, in a strange season without fans.

The issue came with Carlo when he couldn't get out of the dross. That was his failing, towards the end of the season. Absolutely. But the actual 'dross' footy started due to an injury crisis and got us points.

I've seen no uptick, bar the pace Townsend and Gray gave us on the break, in our general level of performances. We are woeful on the ball, woeful.

 

[Drico]

But James was a choice by benitez. That's on him. Most of the forum has wanted siggy gone for ages.

Our injury crisis was just as bad in second half of last season. Jesus, we played games with no strikers at all, with iwobi, Davies, digne and doucoure in midfield. We had a game with only 8 subs, 2 of which were under 18 keepers and the only senior player was iwobi.

All of which suggests that...our squad just isn't strong enough for anything other than, hopefully, mid table even with Champions League managers at the helm.

And this is the nub of the problem: our recruitment has been utterly disastrous. Benitez has big problems from where I'm sitting, but the real problems at the club go way higher and far deeper...

 

[john jako]

That interview on sky was shocking. So basically without DCL, Doucure and Mina we can’t defend corners and won’t win games haha. He’s losing it. Won’t last long this dinosaur.

 

[Bazlar]

Do we have a set piece coach? If not, why not?

And if we do sack him

 

[BlueToff]

This is my worry.
The squad is so average. It screams relegation battle.

I'm sorry.

This is the same squad - because as people like to point out James could never stay fit so 'wasn't a big loss anyway' (apparently) and they hated Sigurdssson too - as last season, except we have a back-up striker, and two wingers which we didn't have last year.

This squad was in with a chance of Europe until the last day - and it should have had Europe boxed off if not for daft home results.

This squad is bad but it is not relegation fodder. No way.

 

[catcherintherye]

The midfield was too open when Doucoure was playing, so I've no idea what Benitez expects to happen with Allan + another slug.

Individually, the defenders aren't up to much, and now they're sitting ducks in this system.

I'm very surprised it took him 40 minutes, and seeing us go 2 down, plus a narrowly ruled out VAR goal to work out 442 wasnt working. We dropped a winger in. Imagine how we might have done has we started with a midfield 3.

 

[BlueToff]

That interview on sky was shocking. So basically without DCL, Doucure and Mina we can’t defend corners and won’t win games haha. He’s losing it. Won’t last long this dinosaur.

Oh what a surprise, he's blaming everyone but himself.

Look forward to Paul Joyce's article this week on how it's Brands who actually insists on zonal marking.

 

[steven]

I am getting Aston Villa vibes from us, in the years before they went down. Used to be challenging top six, made bad signings, never replaced quality, went into managed decline, even got in a manager who managed their rivals until the inevitable happened when you keep slipping down the league.

An ex RS manager relegating us would be the full stop on the life long Everton social experiment.

 

[BlueToff]

I'm very surprised it took him 40 minutes, and seeing us go 2 down, plus a narrowly ruled out VAR goal to work out 442 wasnt working. We dropped a winger in. Imagine how we might have done has we started with a midfield 3.

It shouldn't have taken any time at all because nine days ago we got slugged 5-2 by Watford.

 

[ToffeeTim]

No guarantee things improve even if he does go. Who do we bring in, hand this squad, facing the upcoming fixtures, and expect to do better? Things have been bad for years now.

There's no guarantee of anything in football but at least there's a chance of improvement and a bit of hope. Any semi competent professional manager could make us better defensively. The defensive organisation is shambolic and it shows how inept the manager is.

There are about 1000 managers i would have over Benitez. Anyone half decent has a better chance of success as the mood would immediately lift. There is a cloud over the club. I cant even watch this team play anymore because they make me too disappointed and frustrated. They are the opposite of what Everton sides need to be.