2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[Flynnthistle]

The Watford second goal is evidence of why zonal marking should never be employed unless you have 3/4 absolute monsters in the air. It's the one tactic in football I'll never, ever understand, you are giving your opponent an advantage of an unoposed run at you. I just don't get why anyone would employ it with this team of shysters.

 

[Johnny_s]

That comment about Gordon was a disgrace. Throwing the young lad under the bus like that is out of order. Especially when his signing Rondon is tired after 10 minutes every week.

And as someone said earlier, this proves the sub was planned, so regardless of how the game was going and who was playing well it was always gonna be Gordon for Richarlison. Not really what you would expect from a top coach.

 

[ToffeeTim]

And as someone said earlier, this proves the sub was planned, so regardless of how the game was going and who was playing well it was always gonna be Gordon for Richarlison. Not really what you would expect from a top coach.

I've thought that for a while now. Today proved he premeditates his subs.

 

[zukai12_]

hoping he bounces back next weeks but this truly was a historic collapse

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

What gets me is the current Real Madrid, Barcelona and Belgium national team managers all failed here.

Ancelotti + Benitez have won 4 champions leagues between them and both apparently have failed

So who's coming in thats better lads?

Whats the realistic plan? Potter with a none existent budget to bring in expensive players to play a passing game? Sam Alladyce to make us defensively solid?

All the togger experts are on here tonight but no one seems to have an answer or solution to our problems.

Sack Benitez then What? Who?

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Criticism where it’s due, there is absolutely no way an Everton side should be capitulating to that watford side. The injuries are real. The squad he inherited is substandard but that result is appalling. No hiding. I suspect we’re going to be bottom half of the table by Christmas. Sort it Rafael

 

[ForeverBlue92]

View attachment 143593

You're a very poor @nsno-chris wannabe

At least be your own man / have your own style - you had something somewhat original with the thumbs up but have regressed to dropping your knickers for likes off the boys.

And im spot on there Dyche twice the manager Potter is - taking Burnley into Europe on a budget 1/4 of Brightons is testament to that.

 

[BlueToff]

I'm extremely frustrated tonight but I cant take anyone who supports Benitez seriously. This isn't Everton. This isn't the club I grew up hoping would come good one day and defended to every one of my red or united mates.

We're a laughing stock with an inept manager who had his best days 15 years ago and is idolised by our far superior rivals. We're just a total joke.

This is never going to work. Anyone who tells me to have patience or support the manager is going to get a short answer from me. Its a no. I will never accept that this will work because I've seen enough Everton to know it won't.

Today was a shambles from the manager. Worse than anything we saw under Koeman or Silva. The idea we cant question the biggest collapse in our recent history just shows how far we have fallen and that our supporters no longer hold the club to any standards.

This isn't my club. I like very little about us. There is nothing to be optimistic about.

I can support the manager when he does things that I think are good and in parts I think we have this season. There's been some flashes and he's given players like Doucoure and Gray a real boost.

But then on the other hand, we've had a world class player leave and replaced him with Andros Townsend, who has been good and always works hard but it's just levels, isn't it. It's mediocrity.

And then the style of play, in general, is just abysmal, utterly woeful, and it has been - and I've been consistent on this - for the majority of the games this season. Yes we've had burst of 5, 10 minutes and good away performances. But it's so drab, we don't know how to build a move with any patience or skill, it's just giving it to Gray or Townsend or hoping for a counter-attack. Our set-pieces at both ends have been crap all season, yet it's the same players that were good at them last year?

He's clearly tried to improve the fitness and has done, but that's come at a cost because our medical department is tosh, so he's tried to address that now. I back him with that, because clearly he's spotted the issues. He's not to blame for previous recruitment issues.

But as a manager, I just don't think he's good anymore. He wasn't great at Newcastle, far from it. His stats are actually very, very similar to what Bruce's were. He's idolised there but they were crap. He then went to China, for a 'project' that happened to pay him ££££££££. He'd all but given up.

Now, I think he's hungry to succeed, I think he does generally know what the fans want to see at Everton and yes he needs time to get it right. But the issue with such a divisive appointment was always going to be if something like this happened, and how quickly it'd turn. And his buddies in the media are already getting the knives out for anybody who dares question his tactics.

 

[davek]

In fairness here, I'm not interested in it being a competition. We are all blues, we are all frustrated and will have different views.

I'll be very critical of todays game, and it was horrendous, but would also concede that so far, taken as a whole he has done ok, in fact hes done well

What I would also say, is that sacking him isnt going to help an enormous amount. Hes not the perfect manager, but I am really doubtful there are a list of wonderful managers around the corner looking to take it.

He wouldnt have been my choice, but I can also see that there is no way Moshiri is going to countenance a risky young European name coming in (as I would advocate). The alternative for Benitez may be Howe or Mark Hughes. So we have to be realistic in that.

Benitez has to avoid having more days like today though. We need to sort defending set plays out. And then ensure we dont implode when we concede 1 goal. They are 2 attainable things that we can get better on, especially if Mina is back.

Today's defending after 2-2 was alarming.

There's no way even not having Mina out explains it. The team panicked as one when Watford got back on terms and went after the winner like headless chickens.

 

[davek]

But Dave, you said this

View attachment 143586
And this

View attachment 143587

And this

View attachment 143588

And finally this

View attachment 143589

But when you have an agenda

I still say he's got no pace.

Of course you have never got anything wrong on here.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

Today's defending after 2-2 was alarming.

There's no way even not having Mina out explains it. The team panicked as one when Watford got back on terms and went after the winner like headless chickens.

Davies cost us the game today with that cheap equalizer.

You could sense how tense Goodison was and he hands them the set piece they need to crawl themselves back into it.

So long as we have players like Tom Davies playing games for us we won't be going anywhere its as simple as that - he wouldn't get in Watfords midfield.

 

[BlueToff]

You see this is what makes me laugh - he had a crap CB, a bloke who's played 2 games in over 2 years and a kid who's only on the bench as we have abar 8 injuries.

That isn't good enough for the Premier League unless your aim is to stay up.

Some are moaning and demanding us keeping up with the top 6 clubs with THOSE options.

And even better they genuinely believe in their deluded brains that any other manager such as Graham Potter or Eddie Howe or Ten Hag or whoever would get a tune out of those players.

At some point reality needs to slap you good and hard in the face and realise Everton Football Club doesn't have many good players and today 4 out of our 5 best players on paper did not start that game (with the 5th being the GK).

Blame the manager over small things fachts are those players are cowards and perpetual let downs and we've been here saying the same things over 5 different managers now - do you want to make that 6? 7?

When will the penny finally drop? Are we going to be slamming Potter in 12 months time because he played Iwobi over Mr Glass as a 3rd CM? really.

Right, but he had them? Those are what we have?

That crap CB was getting calls to be our club captain 18 months ago and would probably have been in the England squad had the Euros happened when they were meant to.

That midfielder cost £25m and is, as the squad stands, our 'back up' to Docuoure. Tom Davies isn't.

Yes, I know the options are not great, but should they be enough to beat Watford? Absolutely. And, should they have come on when the point was to change the shape? Yes, absolutely.

I know Everton don't have many good players. You know that. I would happily see the vast majority of this squad sold, not that our useless lot could sell them mind.

That doesn't change that you have to use what options you have at your disposal. I had a go at Ancelotti last season for not using King when we needed a striker etc, or Davies when we needed a three-man midfield to push Doucoure on. Well I can do the same with Benitez.

 

[Colonel Getafe]

The next three games are crucial for him. With Richarlison now back if he persists with condom upfront his time left will be wearing thin.

Following on from this , if his answer is going to be like for like subs, we are In a worse situation than any of us could imagine.

I'm sure there's a joke about "condom" and "wearing thin" in there somewhere...........

 

[Cool_Blue]

I can support the manager when he does things that I think are good and in parts I think we have this season. There's been some flashes and he's given players like Doucoure and Gray a real boost.

But then on the other hand, we've had a world class player leave and replaced him with Andros Townsend, who has been good and always works hard but it's just levels, isn't it. It's mediocrity.

And then the style of play, in general, is just abysmal, utterly woeful, and it has been - and I've been consistent on this - for the majority of the games this season. Yes we've had burst of 5, 10 minutes and good away performances. But it's so drab, we don't know how to build a move with any patience or skill, it's just giving it to Gray or Townsend or hoping for a counter-attack. Our set-pieces at both ends have been crap all season, yet it's the same players that were good at them last year?

He's clearly tried to improve the fitness and has done, but that's come at a cost because our medical department is tosh, so he's tried to address that now. I back him with that, because clearly he's spotted the issues. He's not to blame for previous recruitment issues.

But as a manager, I just don't think he's good anymore. He wasn't great at Newcastle, far from it. His stats are actually very, very similar to what Bruce's were. He's idolised there but they were crap. He then went to China, for a 'project' that happened to pay him ££££££££. He'd all but given up.

Now, I think he's hungry to succeed, I think he does generally know what the fans want to see at Everton and yes he needs time to get it right. But the issue with such a divisive appointment was always going to be if something like this happened, and how quickly it'd turn. And his buddies in the media are already getting the knives out for anybody who dares question his tactics.

We had a world class player? Really? Who was that?

 

[BlueToff]

Davies cost us the game today with that cheap equalizer.

You could sense how tense Goodison was and he hands them the set piece they need to crawl themselves back into it.

So long as we have players like Tom Davies playing games for us we won't be going anywhere its as simple as that - he wouldn't get in Watfords midfield.

Yes he gave away the corner, he was crap.

Why are we so bad at defending set-pieces this season, mate? We've conceded a league-high six goals from them. This same set of players conceded seven across the entirety of last season,

We love giving corners and free-kicks away, because our players are all bad at defending. All of them, bar Mina, are abysmal defenders, and always have been. They don't read danger.

But, atm, we give away a corner and it's basically giving the opposition a goal. That's what it was like under Silva and Martinez. How is it so bad?