https://medium.com/@ATKmichael/playing- ... .yx221pt0v
I'm still in the 'Rafa knows best' camp, but I know Rafa is starting to come under some criticism for certain things, including on this forum. IMO we need to remember Ashley's tenure so far as a whole - Rafa is the anomaly. No that doesn't mean we can't criticise but it shouldn't be forgotten.We all want the same thing, success. What success looks like and how we get there is what forms opinion and debate, sometimes as a coping mechanism or sometimes someone just wants to be loud about foreigners. With nearly 50,000 in the stadium, all with an emotional interest in what they’re watching, it’s impossible for everyone to feel and act the same way without the team leading us.
We’ve been efficient and effective in a league where not being as bad as the other team creates a competition lacking in quality. Listen to any pundit that had the misfortune of not being good enough for the Premier League and they’ll all tell you it’s tough, or those in deep denial will claim it “competitive”. It’s also pretty s*** but that rarely crops up.
We’ve been in cruise control this year but has Benitez over-thought the league and almost ignored a season that could have been used as building blocks for the future, or has he used it as a training ground exercise to find out who, if any, is worth keeping for when the real work starts next year?
In the last three years, the list of managers that have achieved promotion from this division include Alex Neil, Nigel Pearson, Steve Bruce, Harry Redknapp, Slavisa Jokanovic, Aitor Karanka and Eddie Howe, with Sean Dyche doing it twice. Only two of those remain in a job and whilst the stature of Benitez far outweighs those mentioned it could be argued that he was in better shape than all of them to achieve promotion, what with having the summer to prepare and despite posting a profit, still investing plenty to reshape the squad. This is no way belittles his achievements so far, it just doesn’t hold them that highly.
This might seem disrespectful both to the league and Benitez himself but long standing problems persist as we still lack creativity, pace and balance. The match-winners in Shelvey, Ritchie and Gayle are the difference as other teams lack the quality to punish mistakes and capitalize on any of our lacklustre performances. So, whilst a win is a win, it should also be viewed in context of the league and where we are heading in the future. It’s an uncertain road so forgive me for not riding the wave of eternal optimism simply because Benitez apparently knows best.
His last seven years haven’t reached the heights that the previous seven did. His longest spell at a club was at Napoli where he spent £110 million in two years as they went from 2nd to 5th. Destroying their most influential player Hamsik in the process as he annoyed an increasingly hostile fan base with his tactical stubbornness, refusing to play anything other than his 4231 formation. Sound familiar?
His hugely unpopular tenure at European Champions Inter Milan was perhaps a no-win situation, such was their success under Mourinho. It would need someone warmer than Benitez to inspire them as Bellamy and Zidane workie-ticket Marco Materazzi later claimed,
“What I did not like was the way he presented himself to the players. Great coaches like Marcello Lippi and Mourinho use unwritten rules, but Benítez wanted to write 10 or 12 things down. It was like we were back to school or had to follow traffic rules.”
If you’re wondering why our atmosphere might be flat, then consider that our assistant manager might be a TomTom.
His equally unpopular time at Chelsea was at least a footballing success despite the animosity from the crowd. Incidentally his record saw him lose one at home all season which asks the question, is it only our fans that think they control the outcome of matches? Imagine never winning anything for decades to start thinking it’s your fault, or imagine thinking that a small number of Geordies groaning is anything close to what he’s faced in Spain and Italy. Anyway, his Chelsea side went on to win the Europa League despite the pressure from the stands, a year after Di Matteo lifted the Champions League. Which is almost as weird as an Avram Grant side being a penalty away from winning the thing.
And despite the stats at the time, Real Madrid sacked him for perceived personality differences from training ground (and possibly Ronaldo’s phone) to pitch. His face most definitely didn’t fit and Zidane took over. Real have lost 5 games in 71 matches since Benitez left, they lost (still impressively**) 3 in Benitez’s 25 games in charge.
Restricting expression and the freedom to make mistakes is what we’re watching. For fans to “get on the player’s backs” as you might put it, occurs during specific moments, in the exact seconds they happen. No one is thinking about how much better it is with Benitez over Pardew, they’re thinking “why the f*** did Lascelles just belt the ball out for a goal kick?”. These responses are immediate and natural and not necessarily proof that they don’t support the team. When you’re aware the team isn’t going out to dominate sides but to navigate against them then not doing something as basic as the basics is going to infuriate.
I get the impression that everything around the game but the game itself is a hindrance to Benitez. Whilst I’ve been impressed in the past with his tactical re-organising after every goal instead of celebrating or enjoying the moment, that always working, always focussed attitude has slowly dehumanised the man. We are watching a team in his mould and without true success I’ll always be somewhat cold to someone who views the game as an event on the Krypton Factor, a show that had viewers watching people trying to remember things.
The Chronicle recently included an Opta video on managers in England and their preferred tactics. They seemed to view it as a good thing despite the Benitez part being followed directly with the line
“Another manager that follows this approach is Tony Pulis”.
Now, whilst Pulis is doing a great job at West Brom having done well at Stoke and subsequently Crystal Palace, I’m not sure if he came cap in hand to St. James’ that too many would be debating his giant face on the side of The Strawberry ahead of Kevin f***ing Keegan.
The game has most definitely changed and my concern is that Benitez hasn’t. 6 out of the last 7 years have seen over 1000 goals in the Premier League. Only twice during the previous 7 did that happen, with one of them being 1002. Oddly his time at Napoli saw a side with plenty of goals in them thanks in part to Higuain, but that came at the expense of anything resembling a defence as they conceded more goals than anyone in the top half of the table.
But the one constant throughout football is that the team with the ball is usually the one most likely to score. Anomalies such as Leicester last year and individual matches aside the top of the possession charts usually include teams further up the league than those at the bottom, indeed the Premier League this year has the top 6 in the top 6 of possession so what’s he setting us up for?
I’m not happy to simply say #inRafawetrust because which version of him are we trusting. The pre-2010 version, or the one that has “failed” at his last four clubs, depending of course on what you regard as success. His honours list and deep understanding of the game earns him time but it doesn’t earn him unquestionable support, that actually needs to be earned and getting out of a league that I forgot Preston were in until yesterday isn’t the surest-thing I’m looking for.
I look at that side and there’d be an argument to sell them all. It obviously wouldn’t be ideal but you could make a reasonable argument at why any of them aren’t good enough.
Mitrovic will likely be moved on if Benitez gets his way, and despite deserving of fondness Murphy couldn’t be expected to be anything more than backup to the backup. Perez meanwhile has done nothing to instil confidence and Gouffran should rightly be let go on a free. Assuming we’re not pinning our hopes on Adam Armstrong who has notched only 4 times this season, that leaves Gayle, a player with hamstring concerns and no notable success in the top flight. And that’s just the forwards.
Had Benitez not employed this formation for most of his career you’d be convinced that he hates our players more than anyone and wants to keep things as simple as possible as he deals with a midfield of Shelvey, Hayden, Colback and Diame, with our winger Matt Ritchie. If we go up, we need a major overhaul. I’ve no doubt Benitez knows this and I’ve no doubt he’ll mention it loads and even use it as an excuse if he leaves. He loves a “failed promise” in the transfer market for leaving places.
Currently we’re a side that has more match-winners than the other teams. Next year, if we get promoted that all becomes meaningless and the system he has in place invites pressure. We’re better away because we can counter, be more direct and not have to worry about such things as passing and moving. Who are we? We’re an Allardyce side, where enthusiasm and atmosphere is created by being the underdog, scrapping and fighting as you upset the odds. Problem is that we’re the favourites this year.
And yet through all the question marks and uncertainty I have about the bloke, I’m still happy he’s ours. I’m still happy there’s someone in place who genuinely wants to win and improve, and wants as little input from the top as possible. His approach might be effective, particularly in the cups where the margins for error are smaller, or against the bigger sides where containment is the wisest if not the most exciting tactic. So maybe the concerns of “yawn” tactical development and preparing for next year are unfounded. Maybe this is exactly what he wanted, this is how we play and this is who we are now. Which manages to be both understandable and depressing.
Anyway something to read instead of working or when bored this weekend because it's Internationals.
