Rafa Benitez was already unpopular at Everton, but his comments this week have made him even more disliked at Goodison Park.
Indeed, when speaking to Sky Sports earlier this week, Benitez admitted that his time at Everton was affected by his links to Liverpool, partially blaming his failure with the Toffees on his history with the Reds.
On one hand, we can understand how Benitez felt shackled by the fact he had ties to Liverpool. After all, he was the manager at Anfield for a long time and is considered by some to be a club legend for the six-time Champions League winners.
However, there’s an element of professionalism that needs to be considered here, and while the Everton/Liverpool rivalry is unique, many managers have crossed those kind of divides to great success – just look at Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest and Derby back in the day.
In fact, you only need to look within Everton’s current squad to see that crossing the Merseyside divide doesn’t need to define your career at either club.
Conor Coady has made it no secret that he is a Liverpool supporter who came through the Reds’ academy, but after signing for Everton this summer, he’s become an immediate fan favourite and he even captained the side at the weekend.
It would’ve been easy for Coady, just like Benitez, to have his Liverpool allegiances in the back of his head the entire time he was at Goodison Park, but instead, he’s embraced life as an Everton player and is well on the way to becoming a success.
Coady’s impact at Everton as a Liverpool-supporting former Red has made Benitez’s comments look utterly ridiculous, and if we’re being honest, it’s somewhat unprofessional for the Spaniard to have had this sort of attitude during his time as Everton manager.
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