2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[Dixieslaces]

It can get as ugly as it gets. No other Everton manager has been sacked that soon, there are perfectly acceptable explanations for the recent downturn, and the mob wont be listened to

he will be, post derby the message will be loud and clear if he doesnt get a result

 

[Saint Domingo]

Benitez has made some poor tactical/managerial decisions of late:
- Sticking with Rondon out of sheer loyalty until the goals ran out
- Exposing JPG in a two man midfield was a fools error
- Not starting Tony G over Iwobi. Bizarre

But I do think that there is only so far a set of tactics will take you when your squad is low on quality.
- Yerry Mina is made of glass and can't play ten games on the bounce, which for your premier centre half is a serious issue
- Mikky Keane is a scarecrow, which for your senior centre half in the absence of big Yez is concerning, especially given the younger centre backs who accompany him. Imagine learning off Keane as Ben God! Ouch
- Mason Holdgate is a second choice right back and absolutely not a starting centre half
- Behind Allan and Doucoure, our midfield is sooo light on quality it hurts: Gomes, Davies, JPG, Delph. That's 17th-11th.
- Our attacking options behind Rich, DCL and Gray read as follows: Townsend, Iwobi, Rondon. That's relegation fodder

It's going to take more than a few years of solid, intelligent recruitment to fix that lot

I can’t blame him for starting Gbamin when your other options are Davies and Delph.

I warned against this earlier in the season, I said it would derail if at any point one of Doucoure or Allan got injured but especially Doucoure as the drop off is huge. Benitez is now in the boat that Silva and Ancelotti were, rotating midfielders every week to see which one is least crap to go with. Davies will be back in the next game and will again remind us how poor he is.

The squad isn’t good enough. How many managers need to be fired before someone at Everton recognises it and brings in players to fix it. Never mind the squad, the first team isn’t good enough. We need a right back centre back and right winger just to put out a competent 11 when everyone is fit. But when injuries occur we can’t be turning to Davies Kenny Rondon Iwobi Keane etc.

Major repair is needed in January that’s the only solution. New tactics or new manager won’t fix this. There’s no tactical solutions available within this squad, every manager and his dog has tried them.

5 at the back, midfield three, number 10, three upfront, 442, false 9s, 4 centrebacks. Have we not tried every single one of these multiple times over the last few seasons and they’ve all been terrible.

Pressing high, sitting deep, zonal marking, man to man marking, long balls, counter attack, possession game, intercepting channels, overlapping full backs. We’ve done all of these, none worked under different managers who all play different ways.

The root cause is the same. Koeman sold Lukaku Stones Barkley and brought in complete and utter dross to add to the shambles of players Martinez collected giving us a huge FFP problem. This has been exacerbated by poor recruitment and crippling injuries since. There’s been an odd bright spark like Richarlison Gueye or Doucoure but even then the latter struggles to stay fit long enough.

For years it’s been a bottom half squad with a few class players in it (DCL Richarlison Gueye James Doucoure). Take them out with injuries and it’s a bottom half squad. Try them anyway you want, in any formation, there is no scenario they ever trouble the European places. The last time we qualified for Europe we had Lukaku Gueye Barkley Stones in the team and we came 7th. Look at the clubs they’re playing for now and ask yourself who we replaced them with and whether they’re suitably superior to allow us to finish higher than 7th. They’re not they’re massively worse so why anyone expects us to finish higher is an utter mystery to me, the squad smacks of bottom half.

They can’t deal with the basics of pass and move. The combinations around the back and midfield that any other premier league team perform easily are hugely beyond our players. Seriously watching Keane Coleman and Davies try to put together a passing exchange without giving a suicide ball away is laughable, it ends up in complete panic and someone usually hoofing it.

They’re crap. Sorry to say it but it can’t be a surprise to anyone when they’ve been this way since Koeman.

Poor players comfortable at a club that’s run like a holiday camp with a Mickey Mouse medical department.

Yet some people want to get rid of a bloke who might actually have a clue how to fix it.

Any decent manager wouldn’t touch this squad with a barge pole as they know they’ll have them fired within 2 seasons no question. We’ll attract money mercenaries like Ancelotti or hopeful dreamers. We’ve got lucky that there’s a decent manager who wanted a short commute to work.

 

[UptheTofees]

Just to be clear - and you are completely entitled to your opinion - you’d be ok with potentially getting relegated this season and let Benitez try and bring us back up ?

same guy who was trashing Carlo when we were doing well the first half of last season
Crazy

 

[Marius57]

I can’t blame him for starting Gbamin when your other options are Davies and Delph.

I warned against this earlier in the season, I said it would derail if at any point one of Doucoure or Allan got injured but especially Doucoure as the drop off is huge. Benitez is now in the boat that Silva and Ancelotti were, rotating midfielders every week to see which one is least crap to go with. Davies will be back in the next game and will again remind us how poor he is.

The squad isn’t good enough. How many managers need to be fired before someone at Everton recognises it and brings in players to fix it. Never mind the squad, the first team isn’t good enough. We need a right back centre back and right winger just to put out a competent 11 when everyone is fit. But when injuries occur we can’t be turning to Davies Kenny Rondon Iwobi Keane etc.

Major repair is needed in January that’s the only solution. New tactics or new manager won’t fix this. There’s no tactical solutions available within this squad, every manager and his dog has tried them.

5 at the back, midfield three, number 10, three upfront, 442, false 9s, 4 centrebacks. Have we not tried every single one of these multiple times over the last few seasons and they’ve all been terrible.

Pressing high, sitting deep, zonal marking, man to man marking, long balls, counter attack, possession game, intercepting channels, overlapping full backs. We’ve done all of these, none worked under different managers who all play different ways.

The root cause is the same. Koeman sold Lukaku Stones Barkley and brought in complete and utter dross to add to the shambles of players Martinez collected giving us a huge FFP problem. This has been exacerbated by poor recruitment and crippling injuries since. There’s been an odd bright spark like Richarlison Gueye or Doucoure but even then the latter struggles to stay fit long enough.

For years it’s been a bottom half squad with a few class players in it (DCL Richarlison Gueye James Doucoure). Take them out with injuries and it’s a bottom half squad. Try them anyway you want, in any formation, there is no scenario they ever trouble the European places. The last time we qualified for Europe we had Lukaku Gueye Barkley Stones in the team and we came 7th. Look at the clubs they’re playing for now and ask yourself who we replaced them with and whether they’re suitably superior to allow us to finish higher than 7th. They’re not they’re massively worse so why anyone expects us to finish higher is an utter mystery to me, the squad smacks of bottom half.

They can’t deal with the basics of pass and move. The combinations around the back and midfield that any other premier league team perform easily are hugely beyond our players. Seriously watching Keane Coleman and Davies try to put together a passing exchange without giving a suicide ball away is laughable, it ends up in complete panic and someone usually hoofing it.

They’re crap. Sorry to say it but it can’t be a surprise to anyone when they’ve been this way since Koeman.

Poor players comfortable at a club that’s run like a holiday camp with a Mickey Mouse medical department.

Yet some people want to get rid of a bloke who might actually have a clue how to fix it.

Any decent manager wouldn’t touch this squad with a barge pole as they know they’ll have them fired within 2 seasons no question. We’ll attract money mercenaries like Ancelotti or hopeful dreamers. We’ve got lucky that there’s a decent manager who wanted a short commute to work.

How can you call ancelotti a money mercenary but not benitez who went to China for money and came to us for mega money. Is he a decent manager? His last 4 seasons have been narrowly avoiding relegation through playoffs in China and scraping past the 40 point mark at newcastle (which Bruce managed to do, yet Bruce is ridiculed as a crap manager).

 

[Bulgarian toffee]

Is that it. I really cannot remember us being ever great at set pieces to be honest. Still think it is down to the players to have the nous to deal with them but only Keane Mina and DCL are decent at dealing against set pieces. Maybe the Goalie could help out a bit instead of being a Tim Howard coward at crosses.

Digne marking Soucek, Davies marking Kucka and Townsend marking Kilman. It' s literally down to the players who are so poor and yet arrogant as to not add a foot to their hight.
Or perhaps Allan blatantly decided not to do what he was told and expected to - to singlehandedly outplay the opposition midfield.
Stop with this nonsense, please.

 

[The Penalty Box Dancer]

We understand the manager hasn't had a great squad to work with and also has had injuries. This doesn't stop the manager from shoring up with what he has. The team are playing the way the manager is asking them to play. The back four did not come forward at all last night and I agree at times if they brought the ball forward and got caught they would be beaten quite easily. The front line did not press the ball. We allowed Wolves space, we needed to be quicker.

 

[Saint Domingo]

How can you call ancelotti a money mercenary but not benitez who went to China for money and came to us for mega money. Is he a decent manager? His last 4 seasons have been narrowly avoiding relegation through playoffs in China and scraping past the 40 point mark at newcastle (which Bruce managed to do, yet Bruce is ridiculed as a crap manager).

Because Ancelotti only wanted to be here because we paid him 11 million a season or whatever it was until a top club came back in for him. If Benitez does the same to us then I’ll call him one as well.

Managers won’t touch us if every time one has a bad set of results they get fired. These players are poor, someone has to go through the pain of taking the bad results whilst we ship them out. If we fire Benitez now, who looks at that squad and thinks ‘great, I can deliver European football with this lot even with the injury crisis’. None of them would touch us.

 

[Thomasc]

When we play the neighbours and Man City, I’m backing them both at 4, 5 and 6 to nil.

That performance last night especially in the first half was so catastrophic that I see only massive drubbings on the horizon.

 

[Legend78]

George Graham at Spurs wasn't bad.

Think Cloughie done quite well at Forest after winning League with Derby County... Harry Redknapp won F.A. Cup with Pompey after managing Southampton too...

 

[Marius57]

Because Ancelotti only wanted to be here because we paid him 11 million a season or whatever it was until a top club came back in for him. If Benitez does the same to us then I’ll call him one as well.

Managers won’t touch us if every time one has a bad set of results they get fired. These players are poor, someone has to go through the pain of taking the bad results whilst we ship them out. If we fire Benitez now, who looks at that squad and thinks ‘great, I can deliver European football with this lot even with the injury crisis’. None of them would touch us.

Of course he only wanted to be here for the money. Same as benitez is only here for the money and because its down the road from his house. That doesn't make him a decent manager.

 

[Bulgarian toffee]

I' ve just opened Twitter with the faint hope of Romano reporting an urgent board meeting like Tottenham. Instead, he reports them appointing Conte.
Greag times ahead, I can' t wait for the Spurs game with our managerial prodigy at the helm.

 

[4737carlin]

Because if a top manager like Ancelotti cant get a tune out this squad without having to play 10 behind the ball Alladyceball what seriously makes you think a run of the mill manager which we would be bringing in would do any better?

You're like a bloke crying for the latest shiny Audi on finance whilst not acknowledging You're 20k in debt and have bailiffs knocking at your day.

Wake up and see things for what they are - the clubs a mess and swapping deck chairs on the titanic will solve absolutely nothing.

Brilliant post, for some the buck stops with the manager but a new man will just inherit the same mess with the same background nonsense, and any manager worth looking at will know this.

 

[ToffeeTim]

Because Ancelotti only wanted to be here because we paid him 11 million a season or whatever it was until a top club came back in for him. If Benitez does the same to us then I’ll call him one as well.

Managers won’t touch us if every time one has a bad set of results they get fired. These players are poor, someone has to go through the pain of taking the bad results whilst we ship them out. If we fire Benitez now, who looks at that squad and thinks ‘great, I can deliver European football with this lot even with the injury crisis’. None of them would touch us.

There are tons of young up and coming managers who would love a shot here. The idea there would be no interest is ridiculous.

Comparing Ancelotti with Benitez is insulting as well. We are talking an elite manager here and one who can't even defend corners after 25 years in management.

The players are extremely poor and largely not fit to wear the shirt, but there is a lot more nuance to this. The manager is the first change which can be made, and none of the other changes can be made while Benitez stays in charge.

The idea that we can just keep blaming Koeman forever is nonsense. He left 4 years ago. He's long gone. 4 years is an age in football, and those in charge since have had plenty of time to fix this.

No one is demanding European football either, that's another irrelevant point. All we want right now is to enjoy watching us play. I can't watch this team without being utterly embarassed and ashamed at how the club's values are in ruin. There will be no healing of the division and animosity at the club until we have a new manager. I will never support something that will never work, and I can't take the defences of Benitez seriously. They are based on agendas and false hope.

 

[ToffeeTim]

Brilliant post, for some the buck stops with the manager but a new man will just inherit the same mess with the same background nonsense, and any manager worth looking at will know this.

The buck stops with everyone but we can't sack a whole squad mid season and board's don't sack themselves.

Only the manager can be replaced right now, and then we make the other changes needed.

 

[4737carlin]

The buck stops with everyone but we can't sack a whole squad mid season and board's don't sack themselves.

Only the manager can be replaced right now, and then we make the other changes needed.

But we keep trying that and it makes no diferance, replacing the manager when he isnt the cause of the problems that allready existed is pointless