2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[davek]

If we’d started Doucoure, Allan and Gray and won, but one had got injured, people would have been saying he should have rested our better players. Regardless that team tonight should have had enough quality to beat QPR. But benetiz is no miracle worker as Ancelloti found out last season. You can’t make footballers out of the likes of Kenny, Davies, Iwobi who shouldn’t be anywhere near the team. And who have never shown any indication that they can be decent.

The owners and DoF should be apologising to Benitez publicly.

They've left him to carry the can for the midden they made with half a billion quid.

 

[Nymzee]

Sorry mate, for a second there I thought you were calling Tom Davies and Jonjoe Kenny Premier League players.

Compared to Albert Adomah at RWB and Charlie Austin up front? Absolutely world class squad down at QPR.

 

[roy vernon]

Lol at anybody giving one about the Carabao Cup. Utterly worthless competition that will be obsolete in 5 years.

Good on Benitez for resting the few decent players we have. I would've played the under 16s with Andy Lonergan up front.

Could be an idea for Saturday, Lonergan would hardly be less effective than Rondon has been so far.

 

[ToffeeTim]

This is spot on.

I know we don’t have a squad like City and I know we have injuries, but even a blind man can see that our best chance of winning anything for the foreseeable, is a cup.

It’s embarrassing and incredibly disrespectful to the fans.

Plus, as many have said, it was a chance for him to get the fans on board.

Lose against Norwich at the weekend and things will turn nasty, very quickly.

There is no need to rest players when you do not have European football.

Our squad is short and extremely lacking but thats an even bigger reason not to rotate for the sake of it. Did we really need to see Kenny or Davies play again tonight. Have they not had enough chances.

What are we actually trying to achieve? I dont think anyone at the club knows

 

[davek]

Why would our 5th choice center back come into the side because one of the first 4 choices has to play left back?

If Digne is injured....just for the hard of learning.

 

[BlueToff]

There is no need to rest players when you do not have European football.

Our squad is short and extremely lacking but thats an even bigger reason not to rotate for the sake of it. Did we really need to see Kenny or Davies play again tonight. Have they not had enough chances.

What are we actually trying to achieve? I dont think anyone at the club knows

The number one goal has been to punt james rodriguez into the sun mate

thankfully that is being achieved so we can now focus on finishing 13th

 

[dublinbluenose]

Then why are you talking about that in a thread about the manager?

The Brands thread seems more apropriate.

I'm replying to your post about an injury crisis in the Benitez thread

 

[davek]

Well now we still have an injury crisis but we're also out of the only competition that we stood any chance of winning and we've got a loss against a lower league opposition to our name only two mouths into the season. Yeah, its simple alright.......

A competition we couldn't win if it was us and Accrington Stanley left in it.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Tbf though, you can flip that –

- Benitez wanted Begovic in and set that deal in place (and he's just another hologram, whereas Olsen has ended up going to Sheff Utd on loan?) - again, where is brands in this?
- Benitez, surely knowing how QPR play (because they've played this way all season), decided that he'd play Holgate and Godfrey CB up against Austin or Dykes.

that should have still been enough to win the game

the reason we didn’t is because the defenders played below the level they csn

I know knocking Holgate is a favourite pastime for some on here, but he’s good enough to beat QPR, as is Godfrey

Benitez could have had reasonable expectation that they could have got the job done

This is less a selection issue and more just the players not delivering, just like when we went out on pens when Silva was here

Benitez’s continued baffling omission of Simms when Rondon clearly can’t do a full 90 is something that should be questioned, as will be any exclusion of Gordon going forward now Gordon has shown what he can do if given the chance

However, I’m not kicking him for the result tonight. That team was good enough and a lot of them let him down, just as a lot of them have let down previous managers

 

[Milkman]

Compared to Albert Adomah at RWB and Charlie Austin up front? Absolutely world class squad down at QPR.

Would take either of those amateurs over what we've got, yeah.

 

[UptheTofees]

He is already behind where Carlo started

Carlo had a bunch of injuries Derail our season

I can only imagine where we end up if we get injuries

 

[Eggsyblueskin]

The owners and DoF should be apologising to Benitez publicly.

They've left him to carry the can for the midden they made with half a billion quid.

He didn’t have to take the job like,

 

[wiggum23]

I would be.

FFS, can people just take a look at those carrot crunchers numbers this season. Scored 2, conceded 14, no points.

Put the bleach away.

Exactly, it’s the epitome of Everton that ?

 

[Nymzee]

Would take either of those amateurs over what we've got, yeah.

No real surprise from the Benitez fan club.

 

[andy4efc]

I suppose my issue comes in that I don't think Doucoure starting tonight gives us any real more control. It hasn't in any other games. He doesn't control games at all. Keane for me would have dealt with QPR's crosses a lot better, and given QPR have played with wing-backs all season, with one fast striker and one target man (I looked this up last night btw, it took 10 minutes), it would have seemed sensible not to have our two weakest aerial CBs on the pitch at the same time.

When discourse is on, his energy alone makes us better. He’s not a brilliant footballer but he is very athletic and does simple things well and that in itself aids more control. Even if we aren’t having 60% possession we can still look comfortable. He’s everything Gomes and Davies aren’t.

I agree regarding Keane. Godfrey was poor and holgate is dreadful. Keane or Mina would have been ideal. I assume Mina has missed out because he is made of spaghetti.