Kevin De Bruyne’s record chase
Quiz question: which Premier League club has employed two former Real Madrid bosses back to back?
Rafael Benitez might not have been every Evertonian’s first choice to succeed Carlo Ancelotti ( to put it mildly), but it’s very hard to argue with the Spaniard’s trophy- laden CV and a managerial career that’s set to take in a 13th club.
After 18 lucrative months in the Chinese Super League, Rafa is back where he feels like he belongs: the Premier League... or more specifically, Merseyside. Benitez has genuine affection for the region that’s been home to his family since being in charge of Liverpool.
Ah yes, that lot. Everton’s new boss is still hugely popular in the city’s red half, having led Everton’s arch- rivals to Champions League glory in 2005. Six years at Anfield is the Spaniard’s longest spell of a career which began with Real Madrid B in 1993.
It’s only natural that the Goodison Park faithful weren’t instantly delighted with Benitez’s arrival – but when you take a step back and remove the partisan lens, he looks like a solid appointment. The Spaniard knows the Premier League as well as anybody from his time with Chelsea and Newcastle, as well as They Who Must Not Be Named. He’s won trophies in England, Spain and Italy, and worked with world- class players in all three countries. And as the 61- year- old has since tried to explain, he really didn’t mean to call Everton a small club – ‘ team’ was the subtly different word he was looking for.
Granted, Benitez’s football isn’t always easy on the eyes – even his best sides have tended to be solid rather than spectacular. Yet pretty passing patterns didn’t do much good for Roberto Martinez in this part of the world. Benitez’s team certainly won’t be pushovers, and that’s a start.
Everton seem to occupy a place of their own in the Premier League. They haven’t done well enough in recent years to justify being included in conversations about the elite, yet they’re clearly a huge club with vast potential; more so than almost every other side outside the division’s richest sextet. And yet, the Toffees haven’t finished in the top six since 2013- 14.
Put simply, Everton have punched well below their weight for far too long. Provided he’s properly backed by financiers and fans alike, Benitez could be the manager to break a depressing cycle at Goodison.
As he proved at Chelsea, he doesn’t need to be liked to be successful...