2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[Nyhus]

“won our first 7” sounds great when you say it like that rather than go into detail and specify that three of them were against Salford, Fleetwood and West Ham’s B team in the League Cup.

Ill say it like this;
From 2 PL games we had 6 points. Now we have 4 from 2, making this a worse start to the season than last year.

This forum is so weird, its either Benny is the best or the worst. How about hes a smart guy with some strenghs and some weaknesses. This hasnt been an amazing start to the season, but its been okay upwards to good.

 

[Joey66]

Historically poor but we had won 2 of our last 3 there.

No crowd there last season, before that we had won only two league games there... Dave Hickson , and Wayne Rooney the scorers .....l

 

[Sadken]

Rafael had ditched the three players with no pace, Gomez Davies and Rodriguez. He sees what we see, you need pace in the prem.

 

[UptheTofees]

We had a great start last season and then fell off once injuries hit

I think Benitez is a [Poor language removed] show of a manager, but his style bodes well for when the injuries happen since he’ll just bring up another runner

I think we will have a more consistent team, instead of the highs and lows of last season, but ultimately end up about the same position

 

[MikeH72]

Ill say it like this;
From 2 PL games we had 6 points. Now we have 4 from 2, making this a worse start to the season than last year.

This forum is so weird, its either Benny is the best or the worst. How about hes a smart guy with some strenghs and some weaknesses. This hasnt been an amazing start to the season, but its been okay upwards to good.

Actually fully agree with all of this. I’m not about to start fawning over him after two games, he has a lot to prove to me personally to earn my adulation. But also I will not blow smoke up the arse of Carlo Ancelotti, his Everton side was my least favourite to watch in my entire lifetime. I don’t miss him one bit.

 

[Bohemian Toffee]

Actually fully agree with all of this. I’m not about to start fawning over him after two games, he has a lot to prove to me personally to earn my adulation. But also I will not blow smoke up the arse of Carlo Ancelotti, his Everton side was my least favourite to watch in my entire lifetime. I don’t miss him one bit.

I find myself looking forward to our matches again, totally lost that with Ancelotti from about the back end of November.

 

[catcherintherye]

Ill say it like this;
From 2 PL games we had 6 points. Now we have 4 from 2, making this a worse start to the season than last year.

This forum is so weird, its either Benny is the best or the worst. How about hes a smart guy with some strenghs and some weaknesses. This hasnt been an amazing start to the season, but its been okay upwards to good.

I agree largely with what you are saying, but the 1st two were sort of freak games weren't they? Southampton was one of the few home wins we got, and Leeds was a great away win but a different prospect with fans in. I think we have to look at the points total over linger periods. We got 8 from the first 6 fixtures last season, but 15 from the first 10. I think 6 from 2 seemed too high, 8 from 6 is too low but 15 from the 1st 10 seems about right to me. If we can be at or above that level, to me we will be tracking for a decent season.

I've made it clear I don't like Benitez, but the start has shown some promise.

 

[catcherintherye]

Well he's getting f.a. from this board right now and he seems happy enough.

That's the very curious thing from all of this. If you would have said to me 3 months ago, Benitez will be happy to spend under 10m going into the final week of a window, I'd have said no chance. You wonder if he wanted a greater degree of control and more honesty from owners and in the meetings it's been given to him? But yes, he seems content. And in honesty, if he keeps finding gems like Townsend and Gray (and I accept Brands was scouting Gray) the board will be happy too.

 

[Joey66]

Historically poor but we had won 2 of our last 3 there.

It's a graveyard there v Leeds mate .....RB got the tactics right pity the defender Keane left his boots in th dressing room ......

 

[Mat70s]

I don’t think Benitez will have been let down regarding transfers. Part of a manager’s recruitment will be to discuss funds and potential ‘ins and outs’. Given the apparent length of talks leading to the eventual appointment, I’d assume Benitez accepted the position with his eyes open.

The impact of social media is that it distorts fan perceptions to the extent that it can give the illusion that you think you know more than you actually do about things like transfers and finances. This then leads to disappointment, confusion and even wild theories when ‘inevitable’ signings don’t happen.

 

[Toffeelover]

Ill say it like this;
From 2 PL games we had 6 points. Now we have 4 from 2, making this a worse start to the season than last year.

This forum is so weird, its either Benny is the best or the worst. How about hes a smart guy with some strenghs and some weaknesses. This hasnt been an amazing start to the season, but its been okay upwards to good.

Think you have to look at who we were playing and what was out team.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

Thank you Benny for making it enjoyable to watch the Mighty Blues again.

 

[Runub]

Thank you Benny for making it enjoyable to watch the Mighty Blues again.

 

[Drico]

We had a great start last season and then fell off once injuries hit

I think Benitez is a [Poor language removed] show of a manager, but his style bodes well for when the injuries happen since he’ll just bring up another runner

I think we will have a more consistent team, instead of the highs and lows of last season, but ultimately end up about the same position

Benitez is a proven manager, as his record shows. He knows what he's doing. Whether people like that or not is beside the point. The guy is competent. That's more than we often have in that seat at Everton. I think the start of the season has been par for the course. I'd say four points from these two fixtures is pretty much what we should be getting. The pleasing thing, so far, has been the manner of the performances. In general, the team has played on the front foot, looked committed, and seems bought in to the new manager's plan. Last season, when Carlo had us beating the likes of WBA 5-2 and James was weaving his spells, was glorious, but it was a castle built on sand. It was fuelled by novelty, optimism, and, in the end, unjustifiable hype. When it wore off, we were losing at home to Newcastle and Burnley.

I suspect the Benitez effect is a little more sustainable in that it is built on graft and more grounded in reality. It's not dependent on a mercurial Colombian magician or a manager waiting for a more glamorous move elesewhwere. However, it too will burn itself out if the squad is not improved before the window closes. We have too many mediocre players in the squad to keep this bubble afloat. And then the knives will be out.

 

[blue62]

That's the very curious thing from all of this. If you would have said to me 3 months ago, Benitez will be happy to spend under 10m going into the final week of a window, I'd have said no chance. You wonder if he wanted a greater degree of control and more honesty from owners and in the meetings it's been given to him? But yes, he seems content. And in honesty, if he keeps finding gems like Townsend and Gray (and I accept Brands was scouting Gray) the board will be happy too.

I think he went into this with his eyes wide open, FFP will restrict us while we clear out the deadwood and he's up for the challenge, equally we need to move on from the boom and bust policy of the last few years and actually start developing a squad and a style. It's very early days but that's my take on this and I am slowly warming to Rafael, the last two performances have been far more positive and if he can sort out Keane (one way or the other) then we could have a decent run at a European spot.