Sacked Benitez did not realise ‘magnitude of task’ at Everton

The
Toffees
announced
Benitez’s
departure
a
day
on
from
losing
2-1
to
bottom
side
Norwich
City.

Former
Liverpool
boss
Benitez
was
a
divisive
appointment
at
Everton
when
he
was
drafted
in
to
replace
Carlo
Ancelotti
in
July.

They
started
the
season
well,
winning
three
of
their
first
four
league
matches,
yet
injuries
to
key
players
and
a
dreadful
loss
of
form
has
seen
them
slide
down
the
table.

A
win
over
Hull
City
in
the
FA
Cup
third
round
offered
Benitez
a
brief
reprieve,
but
defeat
to
lowly
Norwich
on
Saturday
marked
a
new
nadir,
and
Everton
decided
to
act.

Benitez
cited
injuries
as
a
significant
factor
in
their
dismal
form,
and
believed
they
would
improve
in
the
second
half
of
the
campaign.

19
–
Under
Rafael
Benítez,
Everton
earned
just
19
points
in
19
Premier
League
matches,
their
lowest
tally
at
the
halfway
stage
of
a
season
since
2005-06
(17).
The
Toffees
lost
nine
of
their
final
12
league
matches
under
the
Spaniard.
Stuck.

pic.twitter.com/db3VHzM29j

—
OptaJoe
(@OptaJoe)

January
16,
2022

“We
knew
it
wouldn’t
be
easy,
and
that
it
was
a
big
challenge,
both
emotionally
and
in
terms
of
sport,”
he
said
in
a
statement
posted
on
his
official
website.

“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.

“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.

“However,
the
financial
situation
and
then
the
injuries
that
followed
made
things
even
harder.
I
am
convinced
that
we
would
have
been
better
once
the
injured
players
were
back
and
with
the
arrival
of
the
new
signings.

“The
road
to
success
isn’t
easy
and
sadly,
nowadays
in
football
there
is
a
search
for
immediate
results
and
there
is
always
less
and
less
patience;
unfortunately
circumstances
have
determined
the
results
and
it
won’t
be
possible
to
continue
this
project.”

Benitez
left
the
club
after
a
mere
200
days,
giving
him
the
third-shortest
reign
of
any
Toffees
manager
in
the
Premier
League
with
40
or
more
days
in
charge.
Only
Sam
Allardyce
(167)
and
Dave
Watson
(60)
were
at
the
helm
for
fewer
days.

It
was
his
fourth
time
in
charge
of
a
Premier
League
club
and
he
departed
with
comfortably
the
worst
win
percentage
ratio
during
his
time
in
England.

He
won
just
seven
of
his
22
games
in
charge,
leaving
him
with
a
win
ratio
of
31.8
per
cent
–
significantly
behind
his
records
at
Liverpool
(55.4
per
cent),
Chelsea
(58.3)
and
Newcastle
United
(42.5).