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Benitez appointment may just prove to be a masterstroke from Everton

Benitez appointment may just prove to be a masterstroke from Everton
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The appointment of Rafa Benitez as Everton head coach last week received a mixed reaction to put it nicely.

The 61-year-old’s links with rivals Liverpool and his seemingly demeaning comments about the Toffees in the past made him a divisive choice to be the Toffees boss.

After the initial shock of the decision, it seems that many Evertonian’s have come around to the idea of the Spaniard managing their team.

The consensus is that although many did not want Benitez as the team’s head coach, they are now willing to give the veteran a chance.

This sort of mindset will be useful next season, as inevitably the team will go through tough periods and the fans who are not behind Benitez will no doubt make themselves heard more vocally than they would with other bosses.

The appointment is a big gamble from the Toffees hierarchy, but strangely it may pay off.

According to media reports, the Spaniard impressed Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri when interviewed and was the best candidate they held discussions with.

Benitez’s job history suggests he could be the man for the big job that is rebuilding the Everton team.

Although it was a while ago, the veteran head coach did an excellent job at building teams at Valencia and even Liverpool, who were not in great shape when he arrived. He also did solid jobs at Napoli and Newcastle.

If reports are accurate the former Reds head coach is also not costing the Toffees the earth by Premier League standards.

Reports suggest that his contract is heavily incentivised, which shows Moshiri’s business insight is finally coming to the fore in tough financial times for football clubs.

Benitez is a top professional by all accounts. He will be desperate to do a good job and re-establish himself as a Premier League boss.

Maybe the appointment could prove to be a masterstroke by those running Toffees after all.

Premier League
OVERALL TABLE PTS GP W D L +/-
1
Arsenal 80 35 25 5 5 57
2
Manchester City 79 34 24 7 3 50
3
Liverpool 75 35 22 9 4 41
4
Aston Villa 67 35 20 7 8 21
5
Tottenham 60 34 18 6 10 13
6
Manchester United 54 34 16 6 12 1
7
Newcastle United 53 34 16 5 13 19
8
Chelsea 51 34 14 9 11 6
9
West Ham 49 35 13 10 12 -9
10
Bournemouth 48 35 13 9 13 -8
11
Wolverhampton 46 35 13 7 15 -7
12
Brighton 44 34 11 11 12 -5
13
Fulham 43 35 12 7 16 -4
14
Crystal Palace 40 35 10 10 15 -12
15
Everton 36 35 12 8 15 -11
16
Brentford 35 35 9 8 18 -8
17
Nottingham Forest 26 35 7 9 19 -20
18
Luton Town 25 35 6 7 22 -29
19
Burnley 24 35 5 9 21 -32
20
Sheffield United 16 35 3 7 25 -63

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