2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[Rooney_Tunes]

It’s not even 1 o’clock yet you lazy tart.

Not in Australia you Nymzee...

 

[Eggs]

….most positive point for me are the interviews with wide players and them being told to take up central positions. I’ve banged on about this for an age. I loved the Rondon account when he said Benitez drew goalposts and asked him where he was putting the ball. That is proper goalscoring insight.

Saying that, I think we have been poor for long periods of games. Fortunate we were only 1 down to Burnley, playing 3 CBs was wrong, not changing it earlier was worst. Encouraged he brought Godfrey in and dropped Holgate.

 

[Daveysgingerlovechild]

Aye, preseason even the most die-hard Rafalafelisers were seeing a squeeze into the Top Half as a challenge, now they are Europe-bound based on a lucky 7 mins against a wobbling Burnley.

They are blowing so much smoke up his rectum at the moment he won't need to flap his arms around playing charades with the team from the sidelines, he can just flap his jaw up and down like a dying trout and send spoke signals to them instead.

I'll be honest mate, I'm just not that wound up by Benitez. The polarisation isn't healthy if folk genuinely feel that bad about him, but I'd guess much of it is pantomime.

Bold shouts for any manager, ex mordor or not. It all adds to the fun.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

So.... All you want is dominant, beautiful football, 90 minutes long, lots of goals, no conceding.
Is that all?

Well I don't want negative, sitting deep footy against the likes of Burnley at home. We beat them in the end with those 3 goals in 6 minutes which knocked the wind out of their sails.

 

[Papa Shango]

I think most fans are level headed at present and know:

1. Funds are tight so he hasn't been able to bring in the players required to fight for europe over 38 games

2. There is no one better out there to replace him with

I fancy us to drop points away at Villa - some will be made up on social media but most will understand Villa are a tough side and being at home under the lights they'll be very tough to beat certainly without our top goalscorer.

As I said, keep winning and he will be fine. I don't mean win every single game ever!

We can and should be competing for Europe. No reason why we can't. We were competing last season for it and have added some better players.

We will BATTER villa. And Demarai Gray will be playing...

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

He thinks he is doing it correctly from the kick off. No manager sets out to go a goal down. He obviously set out thinking it was the best option based on thorough research of the opposition. Just be happy we have a manager who can realise he's dropped the ball and change it up tactically to counter the opposition, which he has done well up to now. Better teams will always punish us. That's why they're better teams...

So the best option against Burnley at home was to sit deep and be negative mate?

 

[ForeverBlue92]

As I said, keep winning and he will be fine. I don't mean win every single game ever!

We can and should be competing for Europe. No reason why we can't. We were competing last season for it and have added some better players.

We will BATTER villa. And Demarai Gray will be playing...

A paper thin squad is why.

Gray/DCL/Doucoure get injured and its Iwobi, Rondon,Gomes playing and the team is totally different.

We are miles away squad depth wise.

 

[Kev50]

Are you saying that there weren't enough forward options off the bench so we had to start with a negative formation so we could change it if things weren't going well? Well, apart from being simply bizarre thinking, the obvious and easy answer was to put an extra attacking option on the bench. He had one available to him.

We could easily have gone into that game with 433 formation, dropped one of our 5 defensive options and had Rondon, James, Iwobi and Gordon on the bench if we needed to change things. I mean, I actually believe Kenny is so poor now we wouldn't even miss him. Either Godfrey or Holgate would be a better option.

here's your positive feedback just today on an exhilarating win. You've also spent most of your time in the Jmes thread today after a thrilling win. The reason being, it's where all the cryarses see their best shot at having a go at the manager.

 

[neil999]

….most positive point for me are the interviews with wide players and them being told to take up central positions. I’ve banged on about this for an age. I loved the Rondon account when he said Benitez drew goalposts and asked him where he was putting the ball. That is proper goalscoring insight.

Saying that, I think we have been poor for long periods of games. Fortunate we were only 1 down to Burnley, playing 3 CBs was wrong, not changing it earlier was worst. Encouraged he brought Godfrey in and dropped Holgate.

It's certainly far from perfect, the first half was dreadful.. Biggest positive for me is coming from behind twice to win

 

[Papa Shango]

A paper thin squad is why.

Gray/DCL/Doucoure get injured and its Iwobi, Rondon,Gomes playing and the team is totally different.

We are miles away squad depth wise.

But I thought Rondon was boss?

All teams struggle with this type of thing anyway. Worry about that if and when it happens. We should be well in the mix for Europe. Theoretically benitez should be able to get the best out of our "lesser" players too. Having points on the board already will help too.

 

[PaddyJames]

I reckon we could get to the last day of the season needing a win for top 4, losing and The Bedsheet Bandits being made up so they can say "I told you so"

 

[ForeverBlue92]

But I thought Rondon was boss?

All teams struggle with this type of thing anyway. Worry about that if and when it happens. We should be well in the mix for Europe. Theoretically benitez should be able to get the best out of our "lesser" players too. Having points on the board already will help too.

Rondon is a decent squad player but the drop off between DCL and Rondon to say Ronaldo and Rashford is big. Same as its bigger than the likes of Ings to Watkins

Look at the top 7 or so clubs depth and then look at ours only those wildy optimistic or with an axe to grind with the manager can argue we should be competing for europe whilst fighting on double fronts in the domestic cups.

Our front 3x against QPR will likely be Gordon, Rondon and Iwobi

Utd can field Martial, Cavani and Rashford

Absolute miles away - maybe next summer we can continue to add depth to the squad.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

I reckon we could get to the last day of the season needing a win for top 4, losing and The Bedsheet Bandits being made up so they can say "I told you so"

To be fair if we got to the last game of the season needing a win to finish top 4 you would have to be a bad bellend to say "I told you so" and I'm someone who can't stand Benitez and not because of what he said etc I've just never liked him.

 

[4737carlin]

Everton should bring his first two home games out on a DVD, Christmas shopping starts soon, what a great stocking filler that would be

 

[urquattro]

I bet some lids won't admit to being like this when the goals were flying in.