It was on the 17th anniversary of Rafael Benitez taking the Liverpool job that it first emerged that he was prime candidate to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Everton. A fortnight has passed since then and he is now on the brink of being confirmed as the Toffees’ next manager.
Everton were rocked by Ancelotti’s sudden switch to Real Madrid on 1 June and with ex-Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo having initially looked like the favourite, the thought of Benitez returning to Merseyside in this guise was almost too difficult to credit.
Yet it is now 11 years since he left Anfield at the end of a glorious spell in charge which yielded the FA Cup, Super Cup, and which reached its pinnacle in the most incomprehensible of comebacks in the Champions League final in Istanbul.
It is too much to stomach for some. From a torrent of anger online to reports of unsavoury banners being left near his home, the backlash against the imminent appointment tells us one thing. Farhad Moshiri must be mighty sure he has got the right man if he is prepared to risk stirring the pot to this degree.
That said, he has never let unpopularity stand in the way of a solid career move. Stamford Bridge jeered him, but he still left Chelsea as a Europa League champion. There were question marks against his negative tactics at Newcastle, but he became a cult figure in the north-east and prompted ire towards Mike Ashley when he eventually departed.
Most recently, he has spent two years in China with Dalian Professional, making no secret of his desire to work in the Premier League again at some stage.
A glittering CV will not guarantee glory at Goodison Park – just ask Ancelotti. There will some more resigned observers of the last 18 months who will wonder what difference it makes. Whoever is the Everton manager can never seem to avoid their descent into the tragicomic. At least Duncan Ferguson would be loved.
So Benitez’s first task will undoubtedly be to win over a sceptical fanbase, before he can even begin to consider tackling the first game of the 2021-22 season at home to Southampton.
His only previous tangible encounter with the Everton faithful came in 2008 when he slammed supporters over a “lack of respect” for singing offensive chants at Steven Gerrard.
Whether he can win their admiration in the dugout could go some way towards defining the post-Ancelotti era.
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3q03RPf
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