2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[degsy]

I asked the one decent rs I know this...

Serious question.
Towards the end of his anfield tenure, was he getting stick for Zonal Marking and playing his favourites?0p

He wrote back

He always played zonal and was shocked when we conceeded from set plays ! !
He played Gerrard wide right + 1 game at right back. He left ,2 strikers on the bench in a cup game. Torres + Keane. He sold Xabi Alonso 1of the best in Europe 4 a bizarre reason. He signed 61 players 35 of which were crap.
He's a very stubborn man who thinks he's always right.
I think you're in for a bumpy ride.
But he was successful, well for us anyway.
?

 

[billyblue80]

The thing is, a 4-3-3 can work with Richarlison up top too. Him, Gray and Townsend. It ain't perfect, but it's a quick, fluid (in theory) forward line.

That's all he had to do yesterday to counter-act Ranieri's change in shape, yet he brought on friggin Iwobi for Gray.

I was more than happy to criticise the footy last season when I thought Ancelotti should be doing better.

I didn't criticise him during December-Feb when we had 6 players out and I knew we were going deep and compact in order to negate weaknesses we had and pick up points.

I can't see how Benitez genuinely thought he could replace Doucoure with Davies yesterday.

I said this yesterday but I checked on Friday at Watford's fixtures under Xisco and Ranieri and knew straight away they'd play 3 in midfield, either a 3-5-2 or, more likely, a 4-5-1, and they played the latter. It's not hard to judge when you need numbers in midfield, especially when you're having to replace such a pivotal player.

It's not like Doucoure got injured on Friday, we've known all week that he wasn't going to play. How did Benitez fail to see it?

He's worryingly stubborn when it comes to his favourites like Rondon, his zonal marking and his persistence with 4231 even when we shipped goal after goal. I agree 433 is the ONLY way we can set up with Doucoure out nobody we can bring in can play in a two with Allan none of them are good enough to do that, we have seen that season in season out..

 

[BlueToff]

He's worryingly stubborn when it comes to his favourites like Rondon, his zonal marking and his persistence with 4231 even when we shipped goal after goal. I agree 433 is the ONLY way we can set up with Doucoure out nobody we can bring in can play in a two with Allan none of them are good enough to do that, we have seen that season in season out..

thing is we don't play 4-2-3-1 mate, we push the '10' right up alongside the forward out of possession, which a lot of teams do, but then that player is either usually Richarlison or Gray so they don't really ever drop in either, unlike say when Fernandes for Utd drops back to an actual 10 slot.

It's a 4-4-1-1 thing and it's just crap

 

[edge]

Don't think the manager covers himself in glory yesterday.
But you have to look at the players who basically just gave up , I can take getting beat but not watching a team waving a white flag miles before the end of the game.
Just isn't on.
The character in are Squad has been questionable for years and is evident in games like yesterday.
Needs looking at Likes of Kean can't be relied upon, Pickford is up and down and bar about 3 or 4 others most of the others fall into that category .
In short they lack drive /aggression and pride in are shirt ,one or two are plain cowards when the chips are down.
Should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[billyblue80]

If he can't be flexible he won't last long even if we can't afford to sack him. I agree the squad isnt fit for purpose too but you need to adapt to what you have. We cannot and have never defended set pieces well with zonal marking, Martinez and Silva showed that. We don't have the midfielders to play a two centrally if Doucoure is out. None of our other midfielder have his mobility, Davies cannot get up and down in the same way, we need another man in there whoever that is Gbamin/Holgate/Onyango whoever it is he HAS to move to a three if he wants to get anything out of the next run of games. Finally Rondon needs benching that fella isn't up to it.

 

[BlueToff]

You know what the made thing is?

Gordon is probably the best player we have at the club for an actual number 10 role in a 4-2-3-1 in the way Benitez wants to play.

Carries the ball, gets back and helps the team and wouldn't take away from what he offers out wide because he isn't a great crosser anyway. Whereas with Gray, he often gets crowded out.

Gordon wants to get on the ball and turn and play a pass. He was never a winger in the U23s, just had to play there when he got to senior level.

 

[steven]

You know what the made thing is?

Gordon is probably the best player we have at the club for an actual number 10 role in a 4-2-3-1 in the way Benitez wants to play.

Carries the ball, gets back and helps the team and wouldn't take away from what he offers out wide because he isn't a great crosser anyway. Whereas with Gray, he often gets crowded out.

Gordon wants to get on the ball and turn and play a pass. He was never a winger in the U23s, just had to play there when he got to senior level.

I hope I’m wrong but I can see Gordon being a casualty in the next few weeks / wouldn’t be at all surprised if he went 3 centre backs with wing backs and don’t think Gordon will fit in.
It’s going to be a grim watch until doucoure and dcl come back.

 

[stretford blue]

If he can't be flexible he won't last long even if we can't afford to sack him. I agree the squad isnt fit for purpose too but you need to adapt to what you have. We cannot and have never defended set pieces well with zonal marking, Martinez and Silva showed that. We don't have the midfielders to play a two centrally if Doucoure is out. None of our other midfielder have his mobility, he HAS to move to a three if he wants to get anything out of the next run of games. Finally Rondon needs benching that fella isn up to isn't up to it.

You would hope we have set benitez's contract up that is heavily weighted in our favour regarding sacking him if things go badly

 

[billyblue80]

thing is we don't play 4-2-3-1 mate, we push the '10' right up alongside the forward out of possession, which a lot of teams do, but then that player is either usually Richarlison or Gray so they don't really ever drop in either, unlike say when Fernandes for Utd drops back to an actual 10 slot.

It's a 4-4-1-1 thing and it's just crap

Fair it seemed to become a 442 yesterday the midfield was empty while they dominated the ball. It's ok saying we play on the counter attack but conceding that much possession at home in this league will cause you issues especially when we had a back four playing like that. We have always needed to play with a mix seems we go from trying to play possession game whilst going nowhere or standing off and not controlling the game under different managers, then we are surprised when we get hammered. He has to go for a 433 he has to haul Rondon off and get that front three of Gray, Richy and Townsend in place while DCL is out, he has to get Mina back and he has to play a solid three in midfield.. Which makes his refusal to play Gbamin worrying.

 

[Harryflashman]

You would hope we have set benitez's contract up that is heavily weighted in our favour regarding sacking him if things go badly

If you believe this I’d have to assume you were new to everton

 

[ToffeeTim]

Ancelotti played turgid, offensively inept football in a sit-back and hope style. We still lost bankable games.

Benitez has introduced organised counter-attacking football that threatened to unite the fans.

But the players have decided to keep to the regular implosion schedule. Has Benitez been perfect? No. But that was 80% the players yesterday and we should be directing our ire at them.

Give me a defensively solid team all day long. It wasn't pretty but we were far harder to beat under Ancelotti bar the final few games.

Benitez system is happy to surrender possession at home to poor opposition. The idea he has improved us is a laughable opinion. We are just as poor in possession and much worse in defence. The manager is inept and the blame is 50 50 between him and players.

 

[nevsonlymate]

As a matchgoing blue, it seemed painfully obvious to me that the mentally frail excuses we have for professionals were largely to blame yesterday....that and the shambles of keeping Marcel Brands in a job.

Benitez brings on Richarlison, he scores. Demarai Gray is carrying a knock, Iwobi comes on to avoid messing with the system that put us ahead in the game.

What does Tom Davies knocking the ball out under no pressure and the subsequent feckless defending have to do with Benitez?

I'm pretty sure he can't lobotomise Michael Keane so he's mentally strong at elite sports. I'm certain he didn't pay £35m for that POS Iwobi who's having a merry old time at the final whistle.

Do you think he was desperate to bring Rondon in, or that he had to gamble as it was the only financially feasible option due to rank incompetence over several years by our DOF?

Don't fall into the trap of blaming Benitez because he said stuff when most these players were in primary school.

The true perpetrators are dossers like Keane, Digne, Davies, Iwobi who have spent years being spineless.

They, along with Gomes, Delph, and he who shall not be named are poor excuses for elite level footballers and they're stealing a wage... Now we have Rondon to add to the daylight robbery brigade.

If we really need to direct ire, it should be at the players and DOF who are literal stains on our club and complete cowards. How anyone can let issues of the past undermine the true villains of today... it's frustrating.

Superb post

 

[billyblue80]

He needs to adapt or he won't last long bare in mind most fans didn't want him anyway.

 

[stretford blue]

If you believe this I’d have to assume you were new to everton

I know I was basing that assumption on us having learnt our lesson from previous managerial departures silly me ??

 

[ForeverBlue92]

Whats Moshiri doing paying tens of millions on Champions League Winning Managers like Ancelotti and Benitez for when our fanbase has all the answers.

Play Gordon no10, Gbamin in a midfield trio and bish bash bosh CL here we come playing el magico futbol.

Farhad, Alisher, Bill lads get signed up to GOT you're letting an opportunity of a lifetime pass you by