Rafa: Back me, don’t sack me
RAFA BENITEZ urged Everton to follow Arsenal and see how backing a manager through a difficult spell can pay off. Former Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta will return to Goodison Park with his position as Arsenal head coach now secure.
The club’s board kept faith with the Spaniard when he faced issues at the beginning of the season — when Arsenal lost their opening three games without scoring — and his team have since shown improvement.
It remains to be seen whether Benitez will be afforded the same luxury. Everton, with a run of two points from the last 24, are horribly out of sorts and the disenchantment among supporters means Monday night’s atmosphere will be tense again.
But Benitez is capable of blocking out the noise and demanded his players continue to stick to the task ahead. He has received public backing from owner Farhad Moshiri and insists faith can be repaid with patience.
‘I think he (Arteta) is doing well,’ said Benitez. ‘He could be an example of a new manager at a new club under pressure. Little by little he has continued working the way he wants and the team is getting better.
‘They have also spent some money and signed some good players. He is an example of a manager at a new club who needed time and now he is collecting the price of that.’
The one difference is that Arteta won the FA Cup and Community Shield within his first eight months and supporters had an affinity to him as a former FA Cup-winning captain.
The challenge facing Benitez is huge, given that he is the first former Liverpool boss to lead Everton in more than a century, but he was in determined mood yesterday and is adamant the picture will change when Everton’s injury issues abate.
Benitez confirmed Sportsmail’s report yesterday that leading striker Dominic CalvertLewin, who is a target for Arsenal, faces a battle to be fit to play before Christmas. But there were positive updates on key defender Yerry Mina and midfielder Andre Gomes, who have stepped up their training schedules.
‘When something is going wrong, it is really important to show character and stay calm,’ said Benitez. ‘That is what I am trying to do with my staff. We cannot complain about the effort of the players.
‘We are really disappointed with the way things are going but you cannot become a bad team in six weeks. We were doing the right things at the beginning of the season, win games and what has happened? We have had injuries. I am certain we will improve in the second part of the season.’