Say what you like about Rafa Benitez, but there’s one thing that’s absolutely clear. He really doesn’t care what you think.
What anybody thinks, in fact.
How else to explain this, a situation in which a Liverpool hero, a Liverpool legend in many eyes, finds himself as the manager of Everton?
Benitez’s appointment at Goodison Park was confirmed on Wednesday. The Spaniard has signed a three-year contract, which will make him one of the highest-paid managers in the Premier League.
The news, as you can imagine, has caused quite a stir on Merseyside, as fans attempt to get their heads round this strangest of scenarios. From Rafa the Red to Benitez the Blue; this will take some getting used to.
Everton supporters are certainly struggling to understand it. Never has a managerial appointment been greeted with such disappointment, such anger.
And this, remember, is a club which employed Sam Allardyce not so long ago.
Those opposed have certainly made themselves heard.
"Benitez not welcome" read one banner outside Goodison when news of Everton’s approach first broke earlier this month. Another urged the club to "listen to the fans", while others were more personal, and far more incendiary.
The sight of a threatening message left near Benitez’s family home on the Wirral, meanwhile, was worrying to say the least. "We know where you live," it read. "Don’t sign."
Those responsible should be ashamed, and not just because they hung their bed sheet outside the wrong house.
This banner is online. It has been posted not far from where Rafa Benitez lives with his wife and his daughters. It’s sinister, it’s reprehensible and the people responsible for it should be ashamed. They are a disgrace. pic.twitter.com/6prhZt16vX
— Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) June 28, 2021
How can a manager hope to succeed in the face of such opposition? The Everton job is hard enough as it is – just ask Carlo Ancelotti, Marco Silva, Allardyce, Ronald Koeman or Roberto Martinez – but without supporters onside it will be close to impossible, surely?
And yet Farhad Moshiri, the majority shareholder, has taken the plunge. It was he who led the search after Ancelotti's shock resignation and return to Real Madrid.
David Moyes, Nuno Espirito Santo, Christophe Galtier, Graham Potter and Martinez were all considered, but it is Benitez who was deemed the outstanding candidate.
Some gamble, for both the club and the new man in charge. Benitez is no fool, so one wonders why, at 61, he would take on such a challenge. He doesn’t need the money, and he certainly doesn’t need the stress.
It is 11 years since he left Liverpool, but he knows he will always be associated with the Reds in the eyes of most Evertonians.
He knows what they think of him, he knows they haven’t forgotten the time he referred to them as “a small club”, and he knows that the first sign of trouble – a dodgy result or a misplaced comment in a press conference, say – is likely to bring all of that racing to the surface again. As an editorial in the Liverpool Echo put it this week, "even winning might not be enough".
On a practical level, he knows he is inheriting a flawed, imbalanced squad, one that even the great Ancelotti failed to get a tune out of. Everton finished 10th last season, winning only six of their 19 league matches at Goodison. They have some fine players – notably Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Lucas Digne – but they are far from being a great team.
Benitez will need to recruit quickly and recruit well. A right-back is essential, as is some pace on the wings.
Everton have had a real struggle offloading their dead wood in recent seasons – the result of a muddled transfer strategy and a run of five ‘permanent’ managers in as many years – but they certainly need greater depth than they have currently. Their midfield and forward options, in particular, look inadequate for a team with top-six ambitions.
The future of James Rodriguez needs resolving, and interest in Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison must be resisted. The likes of Jordan Pickford, Ben Godfrey, Digne, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan should all have big roles to play, but what of Alex Iwobi or Yerry Mina, Fabian Delph or Andre Gomes, or the lesser-spotted Jean-Philippe Gbamin? There are plenty of questions to be answered.
Benitez will back himself to answer them, of course, and why shouldn’t he? He’s taken on tough gigs in the past and been successful.
He walked into Chelsea, where the reception was almost as cold as it will be at Everton, yet delivered the Europa League. He toppled Real Madrid and Barcelona twice with Valencia, and landed the European Cup in his first season at Liverpool.
More recently, he was able to unite, and build a rapport with, Newcastle supporters – which Steve Bruce would tell you is no mean feat at all.
Maybe he’ll do the same at Everton. Maybe he’ll be the man to end the Blues’ trophy drought, lead them into Europe or break them into the Premier League’s top six. Maybe he’ll get Goodison rocking and become as popular there as he was on the other side of Stanley Park.
Probably not, though. He may love a challenge, and he may be no stranger to a bit of needle, but it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that Benitez has bitten off more than he can chew with this one.
Mind you, whatever happens, it should be interesting to watch...
