Didn't see much output from his skilled coaching when he was here.
No club in the league would have kept him in a job, most would have pulled the trigger before us. The ones that acted early like Villa and Newcastle will reflect on the success of those decisions from the comfort of the PL next season.
Aston Villa invested heavily in players, and when Newcastle got money, Steve Bruce was not exotic enough. Money is probably the biggest factor in both of these clubs. However, even though some here laugh at Eddie Howe, he has undoubtedly achieved more as a manager than Lampard. What he did with Bournmouth speaks for itself, but such hiring is not exotic enough for our fans and owners.
Yes, the development under Benitez was not good. So your point stands well. However, it takes time to change behavior, and when the environment is constantly working against you, it is not easy. In addition, when you have injuries to important players, it becomes almost impossible. So I do not rule out that it was right to dismiss Benitez, but I'm pretty sure we would have had a better chance of surviving with him as manager than Lampard.
When it comes to coaching, Gordon has always praised Benitez, and part of the reason may be that he is humble and wants to learn. If players do not want to change behavior, and think they know best, and are more concerned with themselves than the team, then there is little the manager can do. Other players, and especially average players, have always said that Benitez is good at his coaching. Stars with big egos he has usually struggled more with. They are not so interested in sacrificing themselves for the collective, and will play the main role. I think we have average players who think they are stars, and that's where I think a lot of the problem lies. They are not willing to learn, or sacrifice for the team (Digne).
