There's too much to catch up on in this thread, but some obvious things that seem mad to me.
1. The obsession with the fans to blame zonal marking. Almost every club does this now or a half and half variant. It's not about zonal or man marking. It's about good and bad defending. Watch the goals that weren't set pieces. It's appalling. This doesn't excuse benitez, it is his job to get players to perform and tweak tactics as he goes to suit the players on the pitch. But zonal marking is not some bogeyman. In fact it is pretty much ubiquitous at the top of the game. And if that's the system, you can't just drop it and go "let's go man to man every time mina is out". It sometimes takes time to adjust to new systems. The lower quality of defender, the longer it will take for that system to become clockwork. The quality of Keane's performance is far more concerning than any discussion about zonal marking. £30m for the equivalent of a Sunday league level performance.
2. What is this nonsense about keeping James as a world class player? He's a effing bum who was once good at football. There are absolutely no world class players playing in Qatar. Stop imagining he would change this. Wonder more why not 1 team in the whole of Europe had any interest in him.
3. Substitutes. Do you really think benitez doesn't want to sub rondon off? He's awful. Of course he does. But he believes in a target man who plays with his back to goal to release pressure off defence in English football. It's part of how he sees the game needs to be played here, he's done it here throughout his career. Rondon has been a [Poor language removed] signing, but if someone said to you before benitez was appointed that the summer signings were to be a 1.7m player and 2 free transfers and there was a hit, an ok player and a poor one, you'd have snatched their hands off at that and instead would be pointing anger at what's happening at board level with either moshiri or brands.
All of these things seem like nothing more than sticks to beat benitez with. There's no need to pick on nonsense like this, sometimes results speak for themselves. Benitez had a solid start, but the wheels are starting to fall off and quickly and the clubs decision to hire him was always in the backdrop that benitez wouldn't have much support in the fan base. It should never be acceptable to concede 5 at home to Watford. Ever. Even if there's been someone sent off. And then to say I don't know what's happened. Why don't you know? if you don't know, well you are in the wrong job.