2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[Sheedy's right knee.]

Wow your opinions are genuinely terrible.

Keep Fat Sam? My word. I thought the Benitez love in was a bit much but that's another level entirely.

It’s taking the piss quite frankly. The people who want that obviously didn’t watch us.

 

[Sheedy's right knee.]

We'll have to agree to disagree. Sam over Silva all day for me.

Silva had a far better brand of football, he just wasn’t has pig headed and thick skinned as Sam. Remember not an effort on target against west brom Chelsea and Bournemouth i think. Then getting hammered by tottenham and arsenal away and getting rolled by united 2-0 without laying a glove on them. I went the games to support the team. The job was too big for Silva but he tried playing football and struggled when things went wrong. Sam Allardyce do us a favour did you watch us under him?

 

[Sheedy's right knee.]

…I don’t recall Benitez saying things were a mess after we made a good start. We’ve had a bad result, perhaps he want’s to deflect criticism.

What do you expect, for him to throw himself or the team under a bus. It’s obvious we are missing key players and his job is to find a solution. I agree with him to be fair. It might be ok missing players for 2 or 3 games but it will show its self up the longer it goes on. It’s early days and the jury should be out on him whether he’s lost 9 games or won them. We don’t give players or managers a chance nowadays because we are obsessed with instant graitification.

 

[Rob17896]

His arrogance is showing through here. Referring back to 15 years ago to justify his terrible zonal marking.

This was one of the many reasons people didn't want him that had nothing to do with his kopite past.

Yes, I can remember the intense discussion on zonal marking when he was in the frame..The man has been here ten minutes, couple of howlers and a number of promising signs. Take away the types that only deal with stars and Rafael is one of the two best we could get.

 

[Neiler]

In his own words:

Benitez on set pieces
“I think it's so many years, when I came here in 2004 we were doing zonal marking and people criticised the system. Two years later, we were the best. The main thing for us to make sure we attack the ball and show character, we're not doing that, I think it's a question of how to defend, show character and show aggression”

Imagine boasting that it took you 2 years to coach a team how to effectively defend a set piece and even then it’s blatantly not true!

Good to know we are two years away from what worked in football in 2006. lol

 

[Zezti]

Zonal is here to stay by the sounds of it then.

That's just grand.

 

[Sheedy's right knee.]

Zonal is used all over the world, it’s the way it’s implemented and the players using it like any system.

 

[Terrarian]

Devils advocate but he does have a point about the defenders commanding their space and attacking the ball, it gets said on here all the time.

 

[gonetomorrow]

I'm gonna stop watching these pressers. It's the same old stuff. Spin laced with optimism.
It's the hope that kills you.

 

[Brennan]

I'm gonna stop watching these pressers. It's the same old stuff. Spin laced with optimism.
It's the hope that kills you.

It honestly surprises me people ever watch them, regardless of the manager.

 

[Nymzee]

Zonal is used all over the world, it’s the way it’s implemented and the players using it like any system.

But full zonal doesn’t work with these players so why persist.

 

[hallamblue]

But full zonal doesn’t work with these players so why persist.

It's not the system that's the problem it's the players. They don't attack the ball.

 

[Nymzee]

It's not the system that's the problem it's the players. They don't attack the ball.

Well the same players last season could defend set pieces so…

 

[The Sorting Hat]

It's not the system that's the problem it's the players. They don't attack the ball.

Surely a Manager should employ the tactics for the players he has, not the ones he doesn't?

We were fine last year so why fix something that wasn't broken?

 

[Jeff Jones]

I think he'll be stubborn enough to not drop Rondon. I hope I'm wrong.