Rafael Benitez

[TRon]

From what I've seen you set yourself up to beat the last two teams by allowing them to have the ball and be passive. It worked. I doubt those were the tactics today but maybe they've been a bit too well ingrained. Fulham pass the ball well and are very good on the counter. I saw them away at QPR when they should have pissed it and proved it today. Once you went behind they were always going to catch you. Rafa probably saw a chance to keep the game tight at the start, be compact, invite them on to you. But it clearly didn't work. FWIW I think Fulham will go up as they're on a rare run of form.

 

Your home form is a worry. What I don't see is how you will change it, until he gets Hayden back. But earlier in the season when you went on a roll Colback played some didn't he? And Gouffran? If your players are as bad as some of you make out, do you really want to be piling on to team and risk getting caught? Because it seems being caught on the counter is a real issue for your team, and it's clear Rafa is aware of it. Changing formation would a bit of a desperate thing to do at this stage, when you're still well in control.

 

I think that's a fair point. I don't think Rafa trusts us to defend well enough, or to score the goals if we go hell for leather. These players aren't that good, and our football reflects it.

[Ronaldo]

I don't think Rafa trusts us to defend well enough, or to score the goals if we go hell for leather. These players aren't that good, and our football reflects it.

 

This is correct.

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

I like what Rafa is doing with NUFC as far as professionalism and away form go. Having said that, the style of play isn't entertaining to watch and the home form is poor. Before the season started I was considering getting a season ticket. I'm glad I didn't. The team haven't played entertaining football and we've lost to a lot of teams we shouldn't have. Play attacking football at home and the crowd will get onside. I wonder if 'lesser' rated managers couldn't have done better at home with the same squad.

[sempuki]

I'm with Disco. Get this charlatan out.

Gerry Francis FTW.

 

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/01/01/19/0005A27800000C1D-3381337-image-m-41_1451676293404.jpg

State of that barnet.

[Shelveys Hair]

Just leaving the ground now. Needs to stop the negative, tactical rubbish at home and start on the front foot. Tactics weren't the only reason we lost today, a lot of pathethetic individual performances (Lascelles, Anita, Colback, Shelvey, Diame, Gayle) but they're not helping.

 

Pretty sure that was a lot of Liverpool's fans complaints with him.. upwards and onwards.

[TheDonis]

I like what Rafa is doing with NUFC as far as professionalism and away form go. Having said that, the style of play isn't entertaining to watch and the home form is poor. Before the season started I was considering getting a season ticket. I'm glad I didn't. The team haven't played entertaining football and we've lost to a lot of teams we shouldn't have. Play attacking football at home and the crowd will get onside. I wonder if 'lesser' rated managers couldn't have done better at home with the same squad.

 

Well, I'd look at how Villa and Norwich have done and count your lucky stars!

 

Might be the kick up the arse you needed. You need to treat every game as massive one from here on in, and not just the massive ones, if that makes sense. Seems when you get nice and clear, or really have a chance to go out of sight, you fuck it up. But when a win is needed you get it. Very Rafa that. Loves a big game. Not as hot when it's not.

 

Basically if you get to the last four matches and you have to win then you'll piss it 

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

I don't think our squad is fantastic so I think what Rafa has done with them away from home is quite an achievement. Rafa really hasn't harnessed the home crowd though. Unless they see attacking football they sit in silence by and large. Something is really wrong with the home performances. Every game is a huge one as Brighton and Huddersfield are breathing down our necks, rarely slipping up. I have more confidence away from home to a good team than I do to a lesser team at home.

[Bimpy474]

When we beat Brighton at home we didn't exactly over attack, we won easily by simply being the better team and controlling the game and possesion, we certainly didn't surrender possession like we do at the moment.

 

Not sure what's wrong at home, it's baffling why we set up so negative now.

[Guest neesy111]

When we beat Brighton at home we didn't exactly over attack, we won easily by simply being the better team and controlling the game and possesion, we certainly didn't surrender possession like we do at the moment.

 

Not sure what's wrong at home, it's baffling why we set up so negative now.

 

Teams are encouraged to have a go at us now with our relatively poor home form (for a team that are top).

[Bimpy474]

When we beat Brighton at home we didn't exactly over attack, we won easily by simply being the better team and controlling the game and possesion, we certainly didn't surrender possession like we do at the moment.

 

Not sure what's wrong at home, it's baffling why we set up so negative now.

 

Teams are encouraged to have a go at us now with our relatively poor home form (for a team that are top).

 

Aye i get that but it doesn't really explain letting teams have the ball and playing it about at will, and that's what we're doing letting them have it. And when we do get it, us just hoying it forward.

 

Rafa is better than that, and despite our squad being average they're better than that too.

[Jayson]

The earlier game with Brighton Perez linked loads of our play up, we played some beautiful stuff that day. Well in control. I think Perez being on form has resulted in quite a few strong results.

[Wallsendmag]

When we beat Brighton at home we didn't exactly over attack, we won easily by simply being the better team and controlling the game and possesion, we certainly didn't surrender possession like we do at the moment.

 

Not sure what's wrong at home, it's baffling why we set up so negative now.

 

Teams are encouraged to have a go at us now with our relatively poor home form (for a team that are top).

 

Aye i get that but it doesn't really explain letting teams have the ball and playing it about at will, and that's what we're doing letting them have it. And when we do get it, us just hoying forward.

 

Rafa is better than that, and despite our squad being average they're better than that too.

 

Fulham were better than us in every area of the pitch.

[BONTEMPI]

Come on Rafa you're better than this. At home, just go all out! Make sides fear coming to St James'.

[Bimpy474]

When we beat Brighton at home we didn't exactly over attack, we won easily by simply being the better team and controlling the game and possesion, we certainly didn't surrender possession like we do at the moment.

 

Not sure what's wrong at home, it's baffling why we set up so negative now.

 

Teams are encouraged to have a go at us now with our relatively poor home form (for a team that are top).

 

Aye i get that but it doesn't really explain letting teams have the ball and playing it about at will, and that's what we're doing letting them have it. And when we do get it, us just hoying forward.

 

Rafa is better than that, and despite our squad being average they're better than that too.

 

Fulham were better than us in every area of the pitch.

 

Obviously but handing them the ball on a plate by not putting them under pressure, and just hoofing it back to them when we had it didn't do us any favours.

 

To be honest i wasn't really talking about this game, more our general approach to home games lately.

[Zippity]

To be honest, this result has been on the cards for quite a while now. We hand the initiative to the opposition by the negative way we're set up and you just knew a decent footballing team would come along sooner or later and hand us a lesson. Maybe Rafa hasn't got the players to play the way Fulham played (although I don't see why not-simple, quick passing and movement shouldn't be beyond us) but our tactic of hoying it long, straight down the throats of central defenders who only have the diminutive Gayle to worry about was never going to work today (and all the other times we've done it) yet Rafa persisted with it. Standing off them didn't help and neither did the fact that every player played like a drain today  to a greater or lesser extent. Someone made the point earlier about us as a crowd only responding to attacking football-maybe there's an element of truth in that when you look at  the second half but it's hard to lift yourself when the stuff in front of you is so poor, so negative and also looks like it's not about to change.

 

Ah, bollocks. Sorry to be so negative-knew I shouldn't have posted so soon after getting in.

 

(this little raincloud of doom was brought to you courtesy of no-one being on Footymad at the mo. I shall slope off back there now  )

[huss9]

people saying he has no alterative to colback. diame dropping back would do. fucking hell, anyone out the u21's would do..

[Mick]

To be honest, this result has been on the cards for quite a while now. We hand the initiative to the opposition by the negative way we're set up and you just knew a decent footballing team would come along sooner or later and hand us a lesson. Maybe Rafa hasn't got the players to play the way Fulham played (although I don't see why not-simple, quick passing and movement shouldn't be beyond us) but our tactic of hoying it long, straight down the throats of central defenders who only have the diminutive Gayle to worry about was never going to work today (and all the other times we've done it) yet Rafa persisted with it. Standing off them didn't help and neither did the fact that every player played like a drain today  to a greater or lesser extent. Someone made the point earlier about us as a crowd only responding to attacking football-maybe there's an element of truth in that when you look at  the second half but it's hard to lift yourself when the stuff in front of you is so poor, so negative and also looks like it's not about to change.

 

Ah, bollocks. Sorry to be so negative-knew I shouldn't have posted so soon after getting in.

 

(this little raincloud of doom was brought to you courtesy of no-one being on Footymad at the mo. I shall slope off back there now  )

 

I doubt Rafa told the players to stand off and not to bother even putting in the slightest effort, I doubt Rafa told the players that they shouldn't bother to pass to our own players and I doubt he told them to constantly hit the ball long for Gayle. I hope he was smashing their heads off the changing room walls, they deserved it.

[Zippity]

To be honest, this result has been on the cards for quite a while now. We hand the initiative to the opposition by the negative way we're set up and you just knew a decent footballing team would come along sooner or later and hand us a lesson. Maybe Rafa hasn't got the players to play the way Fulham played (although I don't see why not-simple, quick passing and movement shouldn't be beyond us) but our tactic of hoying it long, straight down the throats of central defenders who only have the diminutive Gayle to worry about was never going to work today (and all the other times we've done it) yet Rafa persisted with it. Standing off them didn't help and neither did the fact that every player played like a drain today  to a greater or lesser extent. Someone made the point earlier about us as a crowd only responding to attacking football-maybe there's an element of truth in that when you look at  the second half but it's hard to lift yourself when the stuff in front of you is so poor, so negative and also looks like it's not about to change.

 

Ah, bollocks. Sorry to be so negative-knew I shouldn't have posted so soon after getting in.

 

(this little raincloud of doom was brought to you courtesy of no-one being on Footymad at the mo. I shall slope off back there now  )

 

I doubt Rafa told the players to stand off and not to bother even putting in the slightest effort, I doubt Rafa told the players that they shouldn't bother to pass to our own players and I doubt he told them to constantly hit the ball long for Gayle. I hope he was smashing their heads off the changing room walls, they deserved it.

 

Well, no, I'm sure he didn't although we persisted with the long ball stuff so much it looked like a tactic  to me, tbh. But-we've played like this an awful lot at home this year and I think part of the reason is that we 'let' the opposition have the ball too much.

[TheInfiniteOdyssey]

Sorry I love Rafa and everything but fuck me he needs to buck his ideas up when we're playing at home.

 

Tactically we were absolutely shocking today, I had no idea what the approach was at all, lump it to Gayle endlessly?

 

Playing 4-2-3-1 suited Fulham perfectly, they had so much time to play out from the back and dictate the play, it's embarrassing how easy we're bullied off the pitch at St James.

 

Sick of how poor we start games, teams should be shit scared coming up here playing in front of 50,000+ but we let them ease into the game but giving them as much time on the ball as they need so they find their rhythm.

 

Playing Colback at home is totally pointless, we need to attack teams not feebly recycle possession.

 

We're predictable and ponderous with this set-up at home, it has to be 4-4-2 from now on. It just fucking has to.

[U2]

To be honest, this result has been on the cards for quite a while now. We hand the initiative to the opposition by the negative way we're set up and you just knew a decent footballing team would come along sooner or later and hand us a lesson. Maybe Rafa hasn't got the players to play the way Fulham played (although I don't see why not-simple, quick passing and movement shouldn't be beyond us) but our tactic of hoying it long, straight down the throats of central defenders who only have the diminutive Gayle to worry about was never going to work today (and all the other times we've done it) yet Rafa persisted with it. Standing off them didn't help and neither did the fact that every player played like a drain today  to a greater or lesser extent. Someone made the point earlier about us as a crowd only responding to attacking football-maybe there's an element of truth in that when you look at  the second half but it's hard to lift yourself when the stuff in front of you is so poor, so negative and also looks like it's not about to change.

 

Ah, bollocks. Sorry to be so negative-knew I shouldn't have posted so soon after getting in.

 

(this little raincloud of doom was brought to you courtesy of no-one being on Footymad at the mo. I shall slope off back there now  )

 

I doubt Rafa told the players to stand off he probably did and not to bother even putting in the slightest effort, I doubt Rafa told the players that they shouldn't bother to pass to our own players he probably told them to avoid short passing moves and I doubt he told them to constantly hit the ball long for Gayle he ever so clearly did. I hope he was smashing their heads off the changing room walls, they deserved it. not if they followed his plan - which they seemingly did

[HaydnNUFC]

It was his plan to lose 1-3?

[U2]

It was his plan to lose 1-3?

 

Yes, that is exactly what I posted.  Jesus fucking Christ :lol:

[Ronaldo]

It's admirable of Mick to defend Rafa but he's talking shit there, like. Virtually everything our players intentionally do on the field will be a product of training ground drills and tactical instruction. We've seen what happens to players whose actions don't correspond to what they've explicitly been told.

[Mick]

It's admirable of Mick to defend Rafa but he's talking s*** there, like. Virtually everything our players intentionally do on the field will be a product of training ground drills and tactical instruction. We've seen what happens to players whose actions don't correspond to what they've explicitly been told.

 

We played shite today, we couldn't string more than a couple of passes together and we weren't chasing the ball down and were second to everything, I find it unbelievable that we would learn that on the training pitch.

[ujpest doza]

It's admirable of Mick to defend Rafa but he's talking s*** there, like. Virtually everything our players intentionally do on the field will be a product of training ground drills and tactical instruction. We've seen what happens to players whose actions don't correspond to what they've explicitly been told.

 

We played shite today, we couldn't string more than a couple of passes together and we weren't chasing the ball down and were second to everything, I find it unbelievable that we would learn that on the training pitch.

Running in empty and last weeks exertions and also looking a bit complacent.

 

Full weeks rest and an international break should do us good.

 

Also, the threat of 2 game bans for some of ours has passed which should give them a bit more freedom to get stuck in.