Waves of excitement coursed through the global football community when Rafa Benitez was announced as the new coach of Everton. Bookmakers on liontips.com gave Everton attractive odds to clinch European competition spots. Well, the Everton-Benitez story has not turned as romantically as we envisaged.
Thirteen matches down the line, and Benitez has been kicked out of Goodison Park. Far from the high expectations we had set for Everton at the beginning of the season, it was shocking to see top bookies on liontips.ng providing odds on Everton being relegated down from the Premier League.
How did it get so bad?
Rafa Benitez has a dazzling resume and was more than qualified for the Evertonian hot seat. At least you can't say less of the legendary Spaniard who has occupied far more managerial seats like coaching Real Madrid and one of the most illustrious Liverpool squads ever.
Well, it is arguable that the matrimony between Everton and Benitez was soured a bit from the start. The Everton fans struggled to mentally discard memories of Benitez propelling their abundantly hated Anfield rivals (Liverpool) to European stardom, bagging the Champions League in 2005.
From the start, it was clear Benitez had a tall wall to climb to get into the hearts of the fans. But try he did.
A terrible run piled the pressure on Benitez
Despite a bright start, things went crashing for the Spaniard, resulting in a sorrowful run of nine defeats in thirteen games. The 2-1 collapse at Norwich City was the final straw that broke the camel's back.
But we can rightly argue that the camel's back has taken a gruesome beating well before that. An infamous 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool already sent the alarm bells ringing.
As if that was not too much of a sour meal to serve the Everton fans, Benitez's team dished the fans another 5-2 collapse at Goodison Park to a lowly Watford side (that just drank five goals from Liverpool a week earlier).
It was clear something was not right at Everton.
Benitez couldn't find desperately needed solutions
Of course, managers will always have a gazillion reasons for poor performances, and Benitez was amply kitted with a quiver of excuses to shoot at journalists who questioned his team's poor run of results.
Injuries, COVID-enforced absences, and strange mistakes were his favorite recourses when his team underperformed.
Sadly, the fans were not buying in any of that.
The fans were done with the Benitez horror movie by the final whistle at Carrow Raod (Norwich City's stadium). One bravely invaded the pitch in an attempt to get across to Benitez.
Whether he wanted to give him flowers for being an outstanding "Liverpool mercenary" remains open to questioning.
But for the fans who were not brave enough – or better put too decent – to invade the bitch, they did well to transmit their dissent by unfurling a "Get Out of Our Club" banner.
It would be hard for Benitez to survive such a disastrous run of nine losses in thirteen games. At least not a manager who infamously tagged Everton as a 'small club' after a clash against his Liverpool back in those days.
What an epic fall for Benitez in his managerial career!
What is the way forward now?
Well, the Benitez show is over, and Everton has to move on.
Reports were rife that the Everton board attempted to woo their long-lost darling in the person of Roberto Martinez from Belgium.
How hard would that be? Maybe a little harder than trekking from New York to Tokyo!
2022 is a world cup year, and Martinez is seriously engrossed with restoring Belgium to its international highs in the sporting circle.
What is more, Martinez also holds a technical director role in the Belgium FA, making him incredibly hard for Moshiri (Chairman of Everton) to snatch him back.
This leaves the likes of Everton sweetheart Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard as the favorites to ascend the Everton post.
While Lampard is out of work (following his Chelsea dismissal last year), Rooney is attempting a footballing miracle by getting Derby County to stay in the Championship.
The fans would definitely Rooney back, given his boyhood connection to the club. Whether Rooney can compete in the shark-infested waters of the Premier League remains another question.
Nonetheless, Everton understands the fatality of hurrying their decision. For now, they are opting for stability by appointing their very own, Duncan Ferguson, as interim manager.
The board would be aiming for Ferguson to stabilize the sinking Everton ship at least till summer. By summer, Farhad Moshiri will drive his bullion vans into the transfer market and return from his shopping escapades with a befitting coach and top-notch players to restore Everton back to glory.
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