2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[gaino92]

It'll take Benitez 3 windows to get on top of this.

The first one in the summer was measly finance wise, but high in value.

This window is ongoing but looks healthy in terms of youth and attacking intent from the back (though my reservations in this respect are well documented)

The summer window we'll need to see a lot more players encouraged to get out and a big sale (Richarlison probably). A few more will be added.

Basically, come the start of the new season we'll see a transformed first team from the one inherited by Benitez in June of last year...and it cant come quick enough.


You cant get shut of the tat overnight and replace them. Patience is required.

If the board leave him in charge until the end of the season we will be in the championship. Anybody who wants to bring in Sean Longstaff when we already have Tom Davies needs their heads testing. They are exactly the same player from different areas of the country.

 

[sageyefc]

View attachment 151103if this is true he's should be sacked on the spot. Utter contempt for the club

Backs this up

 

[Dutch Toffee]

That's just a very sad indictment on you personally that you could use that in a discussion of an Everton manager.

As said, some of you people are coming across as real sad acts and - more than a bit pitiful.

???

 

[Flynnthistle]

...only after having supported him for 12 months.

That's the difference.

Dave, genuine question.

What have you seen from our set up, the zonal marking, the complete lack of a press, one of the lowest possession rates in the league, the playing players out of position, the abject form, players revolting. Which part of that makes you confident he'll succeed?

 

[DrEFC]

Disastrous.

How is it disastrous when we won the game?

"Disastrous"
"Disgraceful"
"Pathetic"
"Terrible"


...WTF are some people supporting this team for if they come out with utter tripe like that when we win a game and book our place for round 4?

Have some people been that bent out of shape by Benitez being appointed that they've become alienated form an Everton away win in the FA Cup?

Horerendous. I actually feel a bit sorry you if you do feel that way.

I'm very pleased we won and so are the majority of blues. How have you become so detatched from main stream Evertonians that you'd not feel like the rest of us?

Dave, stating the failings of a manager doesn't mean I'm not happy Everton have won.
Disastrous is a manager who has a record on par with Mike Walker, and time and time again relies on bangers from Doucoure, Townsend, Gray, this season to dig out poor set piece performance, poor patterns of play, football that is generally poor (especially when not watched from the comfort of a TV). Disastrous is conceding in 44seconds. Disastrous is two in midfield being overrun as a sub calmly picks his spot on the edge of the box.

Pretty sure you do not talk for "mainstream Evertonians" when you're the ultimate forum contrarian ?
Tell me- who do you speak for the people at the match? I'm there every game, and people are not happy. People on social media?- I can count Rafael defenders on one hand.
The people of GOT? There's a wee little poll at the top of the page.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

Dave, genuine question.

What have you seen from our set up, the zonal marking, the complete lack of a press, one of the lowest possession rates in the league, the playing players out of position, the abject form, players revolting. Which part of that makes you confident he'll succeed?

We can't judge him till he has all his own players, or so I've been told mate.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

Backs this up

Love a bird with a potty mouth me ♡

 

[jazzy]

Horrific defensive shape and organisation.
Beggars belief as to what Benitez coaches and they work on.
A decent team would have taken us to the cleaners.

 

[davek]

Dave, genuine question.

What have you seen from our set up, the zonal marking, the complete lack of a press, one of the lowest possession rates in the league, the playing players out of position, the abject form, players revolting. Which part of that makes you confident he'll succeed?

Players revolting? One.

Possession? People around here took the piss out of possession stats...when it suited them.

He's been here 6 months. I dont expect a well oiled machine when he's struggling with the dross he inherited.

We are establishing a type of player this season. It'll take time.

 

[kenada_blue]

For the first time in a long time the players are playing for their future here. I think a few have their cards marked for making far too many errors (Keane Coleman Kenny Davies Holgate), some for just refusing to find consistency (Iwobi, Gomes, Gbamin) others he can’t rely on fitness wise (Mina). They’re all being given chances but I’ll be amazed if any have played their way into his long term thinking.

It’s no secret what he wants. Consistency, desire, and putting the team first. That’s why Gray Townsend Gordon Allan Doucoure seem to be first names on the team sheet, and Digne Bernard James Kean are out the door.

The Raffatrix has you too? Desire, commitment, team first...all his favourite buzz words.

All those words don't help defend set pieces, keep possession, pass the ball, defend as a unit, attack as a unit. Tactics, training, knowing players strengths and weaknesses do.

We're conceding 2 goals a game on average. Hull 2, Brighton 3, Palace 3...8 goals in 3 games. Running around a lot, showing "commitment", is the bare minimum. It can get you over the line against Arsenal, against Chelsea away when the odds are against you....then 90% of the time you get beat by the better coach who has a better system, a better idea of his players, a better approach.

Apparently Ancelotti didn't do much coaching or anything on the training ground. Just told them to play. Benitez dreams he could be that good.

 

[Armaghtoffee]

We’ve been dumped out of the cup loads of times by lower league opposition. We weren’t tonight. We’re nowhere near good enough as a squad to start getting complacent about wins away from home at any opposition.

Not getting complacent at all but if you don’t go with with confidence to a team in the lower reaches of the division below you then come on.

5 at the back and inviting them on brings its own rewards.

 

[kenada_blue]

That's just a very sad indictment on you personally that you could use that in a discussion of an Everton manager.

As said, some of you people are coming across as real sad acts and - more than a bit pitiful.

I'll rephrase....

Do you want Everton Football Club rebuilt in Rafael Benitez' image?

 

[DrEFC]

The defensive stability of Martinez

The attacking innovation of Allardyce

The Set Piece mastery of Silva


And the lovability of Koeman

*chef's kiss*

 

[Saint Domingo]

Defending was the bigger issue tonight. Gave away a terrible set play goal, lost another goal after Kenny lost a tackle he should have won, and then needed Begovic to bail us out at the end from another corner with a top save.

We cannot concede 2 or 3 goals every week. Where is the next clean sheet coming from. Where is the organisation or signs of improvement

Exactly, but let’s actually look at the root problems not just this constant scatter gun criticism.

There’s nothing wrong with our attack. We’ve scored goals in lots of games, we’ve scored goals away from home, we’ve scored against top 6 teams, we’ve scored when we’ve been behind, we’ve scored from outside the box. Gray Gordon and Townsend are all in good form. We’ve done all of this without DCL and Richarlison for long periods of the season. So I struggle to accept crisitcism of ‘they’re not being coached in any sort of attacking play’ ‘he’s a negative dinosaur’ ‘we just sit back all game’ ‘we get absolutely dominated by every opposition’. If any of that were true we wouldn’t be putting in the goals we are.

What is a huge problem for us is the defence. On set pieces especially, but also in possession. Now for me a lot of that boils down to players like Keane Holgate Coleman who are very very poor. It’s ultimately Benitez’s fault for continuing to select them though.

Benitez has managed to have good defensive teams in the past at Valencia Liverpool Chelsea even his Newcastle side were well organised for a team at that level. Now do I think the fundamentals of his coaching (which obviously worked ok in other places) is wrong, or that our players are just not executing it correctly (as they’ve failed to do under every other manager except Ancelotti)? Like I said though, if Benitez keeps selecting those same failing players then a problem he inherited will be one of his failings.

 

[kenada_blue]

I cannot believe that there have been no changes made at set pieces. At what point do we actually stop doing what is not working? Its actually difficult to be this bad.

It's the £500million transfer spend that's the problem... according to journos