2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[Death]

@Kev The Rat You must feel like a right muppet with each goal that goes in.

Pea roller grays was.

Coleman dived.

 

[Steve Wigan]

this reminds me of an epic confrontation between JR and Cliff Barnes. 'Cut your losses Barnes' JR advised, knowing he wouldn't and couldn't.

Pretty sure a reference to a TV series from the distant past will be lost on a majority of readers on here, but I get what you mean. Because I'm a bit old.

 

[banno]

Work ethic and desire is the main difference from last season. Fast counter attacks are also prominent. Most players are buying into it.
Hopefully we will beat who we expect to beat therefore a decent season.....3 points at home from 3 and 4 points from 6 so far bodes well

 

[Kev50]

Pretty sure a reference to a TV series from the distant past will be lost on a majority of readers on here, but I get what you mean. Because I'm a bit old.

agreed. I note to my own mounting horror any cultural references that pop into my head are at least thirty years old.

 

[banno]

Excellent start for our latest manager despite all the obvious misgivings over his appointment.Long may it continue.Lets not forget our friends from over the park sacked him.Im sure even after all this time and our present difficulties FFP etc,he would love to say FU to them by performing miracles with us.

He said FU by managing us yet people still think he is a kopite. What true Kopite would come to Everton?

 

[Axlswhk]

Work ethic and desire is the main difference from last season. Fast counter attacks are also prominent. Most players are buying into it.
Hopefully we will beat who we expect to beat therefore a decent season.....3 points at home from 3 and 4 points from 6 so far bodes well

the basis of good counter rely on the ability to win the ball at any part of the pitch, the higher up we regain possession, the easier it is for us to create a scoring opportunity.

we are beginning to see a great foundation in the ability to regain possession, we hunt in packs, we intercept more, we run more, we tackled more. We improved so significantly in the defensive aspect that launching counter is no longer so tedious.

 

[4737carlin]

Please, everybody, even those who hate the man, please watch him from the sidelines.
In one game, he works harder than any manager I’ve ever seen.
He’s more astute than previous managers and he’s a winner.
Give this fella a chance and he might just ?????????

He totally gets us, he understands us and buys into who we are, brilliant fit.

 

[kenada_blue]

Carlo was a lazy get, that's why we started well and finished 10th.

Benitez has less cash and will wring every last bit of sweat and toil out of this squad between now and May. That's the major difference.

Next step was to bring in pace. Benitez has done that hence why we've been able to fashion chances in attack.

But the set up and football is pretty much the same.

 

[Bluerover]

He totally gets us, he understands us and buys into who we are, brilliant fit.

He even gets the importance of the jersey.

 

[banno]

Next step was to bring in pace. Benitez has done that hence why we've been able to fashion chances in attack.

But the set up and football is pretty much the same.

When you have pace in a team the opposition tend to hang back a bit more than usual .......good for us

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

Work ethic and desire is the main difference from last season. Fast counter attacks are also prominent. Most players are buying into it.
Hopefully we will beat who we expect to beat therefore a decent season.....3 points at home from 3 and 4 points from 6 so far bodes well

We are where we should be with points.

 

[grandjoeblue]

We are where we should be with points.

If you predict and go game by game though you end up with us getting about 80 points.

We're doing great. 7 points from 1 home and 2 aways is fantastic.

 

[akkers]

I concur sir. Totally different feel to the team. Benitez won't accept mediocrity, unfortunately he is having to get on with it in the form of Keane and Holgate atm, however the days of starting Gomes, Davies, Sigs in our midfield I think are long gone.

We look really fit and sharp, when could we last say that??? We look more like a good premiership team rather than a team pretending to be (one) and just fudging our wins/performances from one game to the next. I accept that it is early days, but as Zeitgeist says, it just feels right and better than before. Carlo was clearly not the right man from December onwards and I was never upset about his departure.
We need some quality and depth in the team though, the next few days will be very important, as will luck with injuries -something we have been without for sometime. Today's absences and bench were pathetic. Not the full quota of subs. 2 benched keepers. Delph again out. JPG again out. Mina again out. Godfrey, what is going on there?? Davies??? -On his way???

Hats off to Benitez and the boys -who could make it- tonight. I'm enjoying my last scotch before bed on ya!

Good point here mate, I was initially made up to get Carlo I won't lie and the early season form was brilliant, however as you say the latter part of the season was diabolical and to be honest completely unacceptable, blessing in disguise him leaving as I think his rep would of given him too much leeway with our board and the rubbish would of continued for too long, not saying he's a bad coach here by the way obviously, but he genuinely didn't know how to fix us last year and like you I wasn't gutted when he left

 

[BiggyRat]

Good point here mate, I was initially made up to get Carlo I won't lie and the early season form was brilliant, however as you say the latter part of the season was diabolical and to be honest completely unacceptable, blessing in disguise him leaving as I think his rep would of given him too much leeway with our board and the rubbish would of continued for too long, not saying he's a bad coach here by the way obviously, but he genuinely didn't know how to fix us last year and like you I wasn't gutted when he left

Same here, thought the trajectory was finally on an upward spiral. To be honest, I don't know the teams that Carlo had to work with, across his career, but I do recall a while back, when people were suggesting Mourhino. I think, at the time, it may have been pointed out that Mourhino didn't build sides, he stepped in to ready made teams. Assuming my memory is correct, could that also be said of Carlo? And where does that put Benitez? (genuine Q)

 

[Charles Plastusz]

Next step was to bring in pace. Benitez has done that hence why we've been able to fashion chances in attack.

But the set up and football is pretty much the same.

We’d have been 15 yards deeper defensively under Carlo. You’re right that the approach has many similarities but it’s much pacier and aggressive under Benitez. Proactive rather than reactive if you will