Everton have fired manager Rafa Benitez after just half a season at the helm in a crushingly inevitable development.
Rafa Benitez has had to deal with a spate of injuries, as well as a situation where he was unable to sign players.
However, he has still underperformed. Everton have only won once since September and are 15th in the table. The team which has European aspirations are only six points above the relegation zone.
“My love for this city, for Merseyside and its people, made me accept this challenge, but it is only when you are inside that you realise the magnitude of the task,” Rafa Benitez said in a statement.”
Read: League Cup – Managers Lobby For One Legged Semi Final
“From the very first day, my staff and myself worked as we always do, with commitment and full dedication, we didn’t only have to get results, but we also had to win over people’s hearts.”
It’s these quotes from Benitez which spell out why it was never going to work for him at Everton. Having been manager of Liverpool, when he labelled Everton a ‘small club’, he was always going to find it tough to be accepted.
He did indeed need to ‘win over people’s hearts’. However, Benitez is possibly the worst person for this task. He is a statistician. Calculating, not emotive.
To use a tired cliche, he is not the ‘arm around your shoulder’ type of manager. He can be an incredibly popular manager, even at a team with an emotional, frustrated fanbase as he proved at Newcastle.
Read: Mohamed Salah Places Contract Responsibility On Liverpool
At Everton, though, this approach was always going to rile the fans. They already perceived him to be hostile to their team. His aloof demeanour was only ever going to compound the problem he had there.
Currently, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard are the two favourites to take over from Benitez.
