This is absolute nonsense but is certainly something Benitez would 100% parrot.
The tactical set up was, in a word dumb. Perhaps it would charitable too describe it as amateurish or maybe even touchingly optimistic.
You and Benitez both highlight player mistakes as being critical but that is exactly the point of the high pressing approach that teams like Liverpool employ. They seek to create situations where opposition mistakes lead to goals. Benitez set us up to play right into their hands and we did (players being human and all).
Also Benitez must be fully aware the players are at low confidence and were facing an emotional match with a impatient and disgruntled supporters. Why set them up to almost certainly fail (which we did with complete predictability).
As to getting in behind them so what? Liverpool and other high pressing sides normally concede a few decent attacks every game on account of their high pressing style. Managing to get a few of those attacks is no achievement. What counts is the end result and that was a comprehensive (near historical) drubbing.
All the punditry and a significant number of the supporters at the game felt it was poor, many voted with their feet, not just because they are angry with the board, plenty were disgusted with the performance.
The situation called for entirely different (and yes ugly tactics) because as a club we are desperate for points, desperate for a positive result.
Instead Benitez seems only interested in stubbornly proving some academic point about his own tactical ideas, because as it always is with this manager no matter where he goes it is always all about him.
I honestly think he enjoys the stick he is getting in regards to his RS heritage because its just more confirmation of the above and that everything at the club must orbit around him.
He would rather see us relegated playing his way than adapt and have us improve upon last year's position.
