2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[Spadge Vernacular]

Won the first 7 games last season.

Very good start , as was Koeman & Silva's starts to their tenure.

Now , this is a good start ( probably better than we all hoped for )
But lets not start labelling last seasons start as " boring shouts" compairing it to now.
We all want it to be better and hope it is , but for now it is no better.

Goals galore too!

James got injured by VD in the Liverpool game but soldiered on, was laid up for the week prior to the Southampton game but tried to play through the injury, which was clearly a mistake on Ancelottis part and James for trying as it resulted in him being out for a couple of weeks after the Southamptin game. This injury coincided with our our three defeats.

 

[Visbaluz]

The club is full of overpaid deadwood, dont you agree?

A Benitez-junkie... A narrative... Come on...

Instead of criticizing, why don't you suggest better alternatives for the club?

Soon available: Steve Bruce, Koeman, Arteta

Yes there is overpaid deadwood , same as Carlo , still the goal was (and still is ) europe.

Yes a narrstive , he constantly lowers the bar for Benítez "anithing from 8th to 12 is good" . Once again Benítez has the same goals as Carlo did , europe . Carlo failing doesnt mean Benítez gets a diferent mission. It is the same .. europe.

AM not critizicing Benítez , just clearing some facts , wey should ask from Him the same aa que did from Carlo and thats not 10th (that waa his failure) , it was and still is , europe.

 

[Barnfred 55]

It's not really a right and wrong thing is it, just opinions. All valid opinions, the conversation just needs a refresh

Exactly mate

 

[ForeverBlue92]

Where did I give him flack? He is being paid a handsome wage with a good reputation, having bought cheaply and wisely. Why can't I have high expectations of him?

Its not wise to have lofty expectations this season due to a lack of investment in the summer and the managers first season of rebuilding the squad.

Rome wasn't built in a day - 7th should be the aim but 8th-12th is perfectly acceptable until we get to the stage where an injury to Richarlison/Gray/Doucoure/Allan/Digne/Coleman doesn't leave us up the creek without a paddle.

Our squad depth is shocking.

 

[Barnfred 55]

It’s my chest complaint, Lou.

I suffer from asthma and COPD so I have been swerving the football.

My beloved and darling daughter keeps telling me I should not go back either.

Not out of daughterly concern, though.

That little minx has dibs on my ticket any time I can’t go

Stay well Khal.

It's more important than footie mate. Shanks got it wrong in that one.

 

[Moonlight dribbler]

Its not wise to have lofty expectations this season due to a lack of investment in the summer and the managers first season of rebuilding the squad.

Rome wasn't built in a day - 7th should be the aim but 8th-12th is perfectly acceptable until we get to the stage where an injury to Richarlison/Gray/Doucoure/Allan/Digne/Coleman doesn't leave us up the creek without a paddle.

Our squad depth is shocking.

I am sorry, it doesn't work that way. Any less than 8th on his wage he should be out of the door.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

I am sorry, it doesn't work that way. Any less than 8th on his wage he should be out of the door.

Well Ancelotti finished 10th and 12th was you demanding him be sacked?

Benitez is here for the foreseeable the club dont want to keep hiring and firing just accept the reality! If Carlo had stayed he had a job until his contract expired at the minimum same as Benitez has.

 

[Toffe3m4n]

I am sorry, it doesn't work that way. Any less than 8th on his wage he should be out of the door.

Oh dear

This is exactly why the club has been a mess in recent years, and in many ways a prime example of why Benitez is on a hiding to nothing here!

 

[Khalekan]

Stay well Khal.

It's more important than footie mate. Shanks got it wrong in that one.

He sure did, Barney.

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

I am sorry, it doesn't work that way. Any less than 8th on his wage he should be out of the door.

You are correct mate. We should all have lofty expectations this season due to the amount of investment that has been put into this squad over successive seasons. The additions of Gray and Townsend look to have added width that was missing.

A squad littered with internationals who can compete with anyone on their day needs proper management to do so. Moshiri's axe is always sharp and that he has made Benitez contract performance-based tells you all you need to know.

We should be aiming for the top four but anywhere outside of the European places is a failure. ?

 

[toffeeblue9]

Its not wise to have lofty expectations this season due to a lack of investment in the summer and the managers first season of rebuilding the squad.

Rome wasn't built in a day - 7th should be the aim but 8th-12th is perfectly acceptable until we get to the stage where an injury to Richarlison/Gray/Doucoure/Allan/Digne/Coleman doesn't leave us up the creek without a paddle.

Our squad depth is shocking.

Sorry mate, but there's no way that finishing below where we did last season is acceptable. I've bought into the Benitez stuff, it's taken me ages, but the squad is no weaker than it was last season. If anything it's marginally stronger. By that logic, and given that Benitez is a hugely contentious appointment, there's no way anyone can justify finishing lower than last season. 9th would be ok, 10th would be standing still, below that and we've gone backwards.

I'll just clarify that I actually have some confidence that we'll end up higher than where we finished last season. I think Benitez is a good manager and I think he's more likely to play to the strengths of the players we have, but you won't find me making excuses for him if he ends up finishing below what Ancelotti did last season (which was, let's be honest here, a below par finish anyway).

 

[UltraVires]

Ignoring the obvious dislike for Rafael from previous jobs, I was as sceptical about his ability to manage a team in 2021 as anyone. In fact, I had a text from a red (no idea how he got my number) saying we were lucky and I laughed and said Rafael hadn't done anything in the last 5 years that warrants any kind of optimism.

When he got the job, I calmed down and said I would see how things went.

So far, I have to say that I am being won round by the way the team clearly wants to play with a much more defined style than I ever saw from Ancelotti's Everton. I am even being won round by what Rafael says in press conferences. He spoke yesterday about how he knows what Evertonians want and that is for us to fight to the last minute and I honestly think that is the first Everton manager since Moyes to fully understand Everton fans and what this club has been built on.

I don't just want to see a hard working team, I want to see an intelligent football team that can adapt and win games by playing different styles and as Monday proved, Rafael seems to still have the tactical ability to change things up in game and again, that isn't something I ever saw with Carlo.

How many times last year did we watch the first 10 minutes of a game where we were awful and you just knew you may as well turn off and go do something else because the other 80 minutes would only be more of the same? This year, I am already feeling like this Everton side can listen to instructions and change things which means I have re-found the very thing that has killed Everton fans all through my lifetime...hope.

 

[Moonlight dribbler]

Well Ancelotti finished 10th and 12th was you demanding him be sacked?

Benitez is here for the foreseeable the club dont want to keep hiring and firing just accept the reality! If Carlo had stayed he had a job until his contract expired at the minimum same as Benitez has.

Of course he was on a huge wage to move the club forward and he failed. Manager's get away with mitigating circumstances, which allows them to fail at a club and still get another job and then fail again.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

Sorry mate, but there's no way that finishing below where we did last season is acceptable. I've bought into the Benitez stuff, it's taken me ages, but the squad is no weaker than it was last season. If anything it's marginally stronger. By that logic, and given that Benitez is a hugely contentious appointment, there's no way anyone can justify finishing lower than last season. 9th would be ok, 10th would be standing still, below that and we've gone backwards.

I'll just clarify that I actually have some confidence that we'll end up higher than where we finished last season. I think Benitez is a good manager and I think he's more likely to play to the strengths of the players we have, but you won't find me making excuses for him if he ends up finishing below what Ancelotti did last season (which was, let's be honest here, a below par finish anyway).

Fair points mate but had we sacked Moyes early doors we wouldn't have had the years that followed of regular European Football - WHU let him go the first time around to go for Pellegrini when they should have kept him in hindsight.

We cant keep going around in circles sacking managers everytime we dont finish in Europe its cost us too much surely the summer FFP problems show that?

New manager wants his own players, the ex manager needs paying off to the tune of millions.

You sack Benitez who is available who would honestly do a better job with these players?

We need patience and to give this fella time to build something - some on here would have hounded Kendall out in the 80's had he not finished 8th.

 

[Moonlight dribbler]

Oh dear

This is exactly why the club has been a mess in recent years, and in many ways a prime example of why Benitez is on a hiding to nothing here!

All I am suggesting is that he should justify his wage.