RAFA: AS EX-RED MY HANDS WERE TIED AT TOFFEES
RAFA BENITEZ reckons his status as a Liverpool legend stopped him from taking the tough decisions at Everton.
The Toffees appointed the Spaniard last summer but it was a disastrous move which fans were against from the off.
Benitez started well, taking 10 points from the first four Premier League games, but form plummeted soon after.
The former Liverpool manager, who led the Reds to Champions League glory on 2005, was sacked in January after just one win in 13 league games.
But he regrets not making more changes to the structure at Goodison.
“I thought we could improve everything in terms of staff, departments, squad, things like that,” he said. “It was a nice time in terms of experience and a shame at the same time.
“You have to analyse the context. At the time Everton came in with the offer (people said), ‘You were with Liverpool it could be a problem’.
“But I’ve a lot of friends who are Blues and they knew I would give everything to do my best and to improve things.
“I knew it could be difficult but because I was Red maybe I couldn’t make some decisions. It was very clear for us at the beginning.”
However, despite Benitez’s claims he could not make big changes there were some. During his short spell the head of the medical department and top figures in the scouting and recruitment changed, while a difference of opinion saw director of football Marcel Brands depart just over a month before Benitez.
He added: “I had a meeting with a head of one of the departments and asked, ‘Do you think everything is fine?’. He said, ‘Yeah, everything is perfect’.
“I thought, ‘£600million had been spent, when the owners aren’t happy and the fans aren’t happy it can’t be perfect’.
“So I realised we had to change things, but couldn’t do it straight away as I was Red and it could be seen as, ‘Oh, he’s come in to change our club’. In another club, I’d have made those decisions. I did it in the past, because you know very clearly that is the way to improve, but at Everton I couldn’t do it.”
Keeper Asmir Begovic reckons Everton’s backline have provided a foundation to build on this season with the joint second-best defensive record in the top tier.
Begovic, who played in Sunday’s 1-0 win over West Ham, said: “If we’re solid defensively and have a good structure, that gives us a bit more possession and the chance to win, because we’ve quality up the pitch.
“Those goals will come and if we keep the back door shut that will give us the chance to win most games.”