It was always going to be an ambitious move for Everton when they went to employ Rafa Benítez as their manager this summer. Abruptly in search of a new boss after Carlo Ancelotti’s return to Real Madrid, few on the bet exchange would have thought the Spaniard would be in the dugout at Goodison Park when a full set of fans returned at the start of the new season.
Benítez, who had spent the last few years in China with Dalian Professional, is most known for his time with Everton’s bitter rivals Liverpool, where he won the 2005 Champions League in miraculous fashion to write his name in Anfield folklore. It is with disdain that he arrived back on the other side of Stanley Park and you always felt that as soon as results didn’t go in Everton’s favour that things would begin to turn sour.
Following a good start to the season and clever recruitment over the summer — Demari Gray, Asmir Begović and Andros Townsend all signings you wouldn’t expect to set the world alite, but cost a fraction of some of the players that have come to Goodison in the past, Benítez won three of his first four league games in charge. But after a 3-0 thrashing away to Aston Villa, and an early Carabao Cup exit to Championship outfit Queens Park Rangers, the Spaniard had come under some scrutiny, most notably for his team selection.
When the opportunity arose to put things right, a routine home tie to relegation favourites Watford, who had lost 5-0 the week before, once again the side took a turn for the worst. Former Toffee Joshua King, who only managed to make 11 appearances and flattered to deceive, bagged a hattrick against his old side as the Hornets came from 2-1 down to win 5-2 courtesy of four goals in the final 15 minutes of the game. The atmosphere around the ground went from sour to downright toxic in a matter of moments, with boos hissing around the Goodison vociferously. Benítez himself was disappointed with the performance as much as anyone.
“You are winning 2-1, after great effort, and the team was fine, the fans were behind the team, but we make so many mistakes and we lost the confidence and everything.” He said: “You try to make sure you are ready for the next one but I cannot forget the things we didn’t do right today.
“I understand the frustration of the fans, and it’s important for us to realise the next game we have to be stronger mentally, and to show more character, and to show more personality. Today we did it for a while, but after in a few minutes we didn’t show that.”
With tough fixtures coming up against Manchester City and what is fair to say a very interesting Merseyside Derby against Liverpool, perhaps now is the time for Benítez to alter his team slightly to get back to the winning form which started the season off so well. Obviously, injuries have massively affected his squad selection in recent weeks and Ben Godfrey’s long COVID has meant defensively they have suffered, but how much longer will he persist with Salomón Rondón up front? There are some big questions the Spaniard has to answer in the coming weeks and with how ruthlessly the pendulum has swung in terms of managerial sackings already this season, perhaps the hierarchy at Goodison are already planning on pulling the trigger.
Everton are a side that haven’t won a trophy since 1995, and under the guidance of Benítez they realistically have their best chance, with the FA Cup still a viable option. As for the league, the Toffees are way off competing for a top six position, but maybe a run in the UEFA Conference League should they nab a top eight position could boost morale in a part of Merseyside that has reached boiling point.
