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2021/22 Rafael Benitez

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whiteshadow said:
Well it's better than Ancelotti did with money and I don't recall you giving him grief all thr time last season.
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I did. I wasn't happy with the standard of football. And I posted about that. You can go back and see it. Primarily towards the end of the season. He still managed to get 59 points, whereas we have had benitez fans claiming 44/45 points would be a success.
 
BlueToff said:
So, thought I'd compare the numbers of Allardyce's first 15 games with Benitez's first 15 games (league only).

Allardyce
Games - 15
Wins - 5
Draws - 4
Lost - 6
0-0 - 2
Clean sheets - 4
Goals conceded - 21
Goals scored - 16
Chances - 81
Big chances - 14
Shots - 121
On target - 42
Passes/crosses into box - 361

Benitez
Games - 15 (=)
Wins - 5 (=)
Draws - 3 (-1)
Lost - 7 (+1)
0-0 - 1 (-1)
Clean sheets - 3 (-1)
Goals conceded - 25 (+4)
Goals scored - 19 (+3)
Chances - 146 (+65)
Big chances - 17 (+3)
Shots - 186 (+65)
On target - 58 (+16)
Passes/crosses into box - 379 (+18)

Conclusion

- Allardyce's Everton scored fewer goals but also conceded fewer. The GD overall stands at +1 in Allardyce's
favour.

- Same number of wins, Benitez's side have lost one more game than Allardyce's team. Benitez's Everton are poorer defensively. Allardyce regularly played Kenny at RB due to Coleman injury at the time, and had Williams at the heart of the defence alongside Holgate and/or Keane... Martina at left-back.

- Benitez's Everton have had a lot more shots and created more chances (both +65). However, when it comes to big chances (i.e. 'good chances', the like of which strikers such as DCL thrive off), there is only a difference of +3 in Benitez's favour, which shows the quality of chances being created comes nowhere close to matching the volume.

- Benitez's Everton are having more shots on target. Again not loads compared to the added number of shots but only just below the percentage you'd expect of a decent team. They are playing more passes/crosses into the box (+18)
Click to expand...

Conclusion

People that try to frame a manager as bad by judging him 15 games in, after a huge injury crisis and having had only 1.7m to spend have agendas. ;)
 

EFCccc said:
C’mon mate. Benitez knows we have to sell to buy and Digne would be a very easy player to shift and get decent money for. Who the f*** would buy Delph, Iwobi, or Tosun with the stupid money their on. If Benitez wants to strengthen, then I’d rather Digne go than Richarlison or DCL.
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So despite what we've been told about getting rid of deadwood, we're stuck with these wasters on our wage bill until their contracts run out?
OK mate....
Building for the future?
Don't think so.
 

Saint Domingo said:
Is it though? Because when Ancelotti went with Godfrey at left back the defensive performances started to improve as well.
Click to expand...

It's quite a nuances discussion, whereby we don't actually know a lot of the facts and the issue is Benitez is a very divisive figure who doesn't massively help himself.

The reality is Benitez may have made a decision that while he likes Digne, if he knows an offer is coming in in January he wants to move on. These things happen too. You'd be naive to think otherwise. Chelsea speak to Digne's agent, say they will offer 30m, they unofficially approach the club and Benitez feels that he can do more with the money than the player so indicates he will move him on. The decision is then that he wants to move forward with Godfrey for the medium term so goes on that basis. Again that may be a fallacy and it's just one scenario, but it shows that there is at least one scenario where there is not a lot of blame at anyone's door but an inevitability of football.

On the Godfrey front, the most solid we have been over the last few years have been when we played 4 cb's and Holgate/Godfrey at fullbacks. Again it may not fit people's perceptions, but the numbers don't lie. I'm not saying it's a perfect system, and I'm not saying there aren't better options we can get or that there aren't drawbacks, but honestly I think the upside is better currently. I would play the 4 CB's if fit across the back 4.

If Digne isn't going there is a question as to whether Digne is deployed in midfield. I don't think he's been that bad and I think he would probably be our best wide left putting balls into the box. Gray could play off the right and DCL & Richarlison through the middle.

As a fullback though, for what we need, I am happier with Godfrey at LB than Digne. They play the role differently, but I think Godfrey is very good in that role (in my view far better than he currently is as a CB, so it's not me blowing smoke up his backside either) but he has been good in that role. I still worry he loses too many headers, and probably needs to get confidence and size back a bit before he goes back into the middle.
 

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