2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[davek]

The coach ultimately takes responsibility for it as he selects them but these players have been making mistakes under numerous managers for years.

I’ve seen signs of us improving defensively (again this will be laughed at) but apart from the first set piece against Liverpool when we completely lost our heads for the first ten minutes, I didn’t feel we’d concede from a set piece. I didn’t feel that against Brentford or Spurs either.

There’s a lot to man about, obviously, but there’s some green shoots of improvement as well. If we can reduce the individual errors and be more clinical upfront the bits in between aren’t actually looking so bad. We executed attacking passing moves against one of the best sides in the world numerous times. That’s surely coaching. Once Townsend and Gray get in behind then mis hit it, or Doucoure doesn’t put his laces through it, the chance is gone but the attacking moves as a team are there. Same as they were against Brentford, yes Rondon missed the opportunities but I don’t see a team like we had under Koeman that had absolutely no clue what it was doing in either box. I see a team being coached but everything being undermined currently by extreme sloppiness.

Benitez needs to stamp this out or he will get fired, but if he can there’s something to build on in my view. I’m not seeing a completely broken team here like the end days of Koeman. This for me feels similar to Silva, the coaching principles are there for performances to be good but the players at the moment are not executing it.

Now we have the choice of changing the players, keeping the coaching principles and moving forward, or we go back to Allardyce and even what Ancelotti reverted to of accepting the players are rubbish and playing park the bus football every game. I’d rather do the first one but it’s a riskier road. The players definitely don’t want to do the first one as they know they’ll be out. They want a pragmatist to come in and rescue the season with some results and have Keane and Coleman sat deep, three in midfield just defending, and then long balls to DCL and Richarlison. That gets points, we’ve seen it before but we’re going nowhere with that.

Some great analysis by you in this thread.

Hats off.

 

[Efcjake]

That's a disgraceful thing to say to anyone.

But taking your *point*: he was the Liverpool manager then, now he;s the Everton manager. And I hand loyalty to them.

Is that clear enough for you?

Ah so you're the hypocrite you were going on about a few days ago.

Good to know.

 

[Efcjake]

No he didn't save us as we were never in danger.
What I meant was this squad needed an "ass" kicker (not licker) manager for a couple of years. He was ideal.

It's no coincidence that we are much worse now having spent much more money since he left.

I can't believe how snobbish we have become as fans when we deem Sam not good enough for a mid table PL club.

Sam was horrible.

Better points per game than the FSW but the footy was an eye sore.

 

[kenada_blue]

The atmosphere is toxic because the owner appointed Benitez and the results are the worst in 22 years! Very naive to think that reaction happens under a Lampard or Potter.

The idea someone like Lampard would be scared of the pressure is a ridiculous argument as well. He won everything and played under pressure every week in a team where losing wasn't allowed. He then managed the same club under Abramovich who has zero patience. Yet you think he'd bottle it at Goodison?

Lamps would fold.

Big Dunc wouldn't...

 

[Kev The Rat]

What’s the tit saying in the presser?

 

[kenada_blue]

What’s the tit saying in the presser?

"Great atmosphere from my fans"
"Players fault"

 

[nsno-chris]

On Wednesday though what I saw was actually not that much wrong with the tactics. We didn’t get hemmed in unable to get out at any point. We played through their lines multiple times and could get behind them at will if w head executed better. We started poorly yes but coming into half time it had been a fairly even game.

They could have won that 6/7-1 and we couldn’t have complained; they should have been 2 up in the first 3 minutes.

He left Coleman exposed by pushing Towsend further up to press, and to top it off decided to go with an unfit Doucoure and a dubious Allen against one of the most compact midfields in Europe

We got absolutely legged everywhere. The tactics were awful.

 

[Pabbers]

Just thanked the reds for the reception.

 

[Pabbers]

Agreed with 5 questions on how good Salah is, "Da best".

 

[Pabbers]

Rondon back to his best

 

[ForeverBlue92]

The atmosphere is toxic because the owner appointed Benitez and the results are the worst in 22 years! Very naive to think that reaction happens under a Lampard or Potter.

The idea someone like Lampard would be scared of the pressure is a ridiculous argument as well. He won everything and played under pressure every week in a team where losing wasn't allowed. He then managed the same club under Abramovich who has zero patience. Yet you think he'd bottle it at Goodison?

So the atmosphere was never toxic under Martinez? Koeman? Silva? Alladyce?

Give over mate.

 

[Pabbers]

He did genuinly just say, we ran more than Liverpool in every department....

 

[willo30]

Sam was horrible.

Better points per game than the FSW but the footy was an eye sore.

But was that down to his style or the tools he had at his disposal?

Isn't this what we are criticising Benitez for, not playing to the players strengths.

He's the only one that has got results with the hand he was dealt.

 

[nsno-chris]

But was that down to his style or the tools he had at his disposal?

Isn't this what we are criticising Benitez for, not playing to the players strengths.

His style, for which he built a career out of for over 20 years.

Get the ball away from our goal as quick as possible and pick up second balls; that’s his tactics

 

[Pabbers]

We are stuck with him, lets just get behind them as best we can, as crap as it is.