Chris Sutton has claimed on BBC Radio 5 Live (1/11, 22:00) that Rafa Benitez is among the problems facing Everton after the Goodison Park outfit lost at Wolves on Monday night.
The Toffees succumbed to a third-straight Premier League defeat, following recent losses to West Ham United and Watford, at Molineux. Maximilian Kilman and Raul Jimenez scored for Bruno Lage’s West Midlands natives, before Alex Iwobi replied in the second period.
Everton almost equalised late on through Anthony Gordon to punish Wolves for missing further first-half chances. But the Blues could not find an equaliser, to fall to 10th in the table. While Wolves climb above the Merseysiders to seventh after starting the day 11th.
Sutton notes Everton’s performance in the first-half proved costly at Wolves, while Benitez was missing some key men. Dominic Calvert-Lewin remains out with a quadriceps injury, while Abdoulaye Doucoure is on the sidelines with a foot injury.
Benitez factor among Everton problems for Sutton
But Sutton also considers Benitez to be a problem topic, as some Everton fans opposed his appointment in the summer. With a few supporters protesting Farhad Moshiri’s decision to hire the Spaniard to replace Carlo Ancelotti after the Italian walked.
“This is now three defeats on the spin for Benitez,” Sutton said. “You can’t expect to turn up for 45-minutes and win a game at this level.
“Everton have got key players out like Calvert-Lewin and Doucoure. They look short in midfield. They were better in the second-half, but they’ve got problems and the Benitez factor is a huge problem for them. A lot of fans didn’t want him.
“In the first-half, they came with very little intent. He’s got real issues. Under Benitez, they’re not going to be on the front foot, and this is going to grow and grow and grow.”
Can Benitez turn things around at Goodison after Wolves loss?
Moshiri will hope Benitez can turn things around at Goodison after Wolves beat Everton on Monday. The Toffees are without a win in four top-flight fixtures since beating Norwich City on September 25. The Canaries also mark their only win in seven across all competitions.
Everton have some difficult fixtures ahead, too, with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday before visiting Manchester City after the international break. Brentford then precede Liverpool in the first Merseyside derby with Benitez in the Blues dugout.
Question marks will naturally rise over Benitez if the £134k-a-week manager cannot inspire a change in Everton’s form soon. His tenure started well with one defeat in their first seven league games, but were sloppy at Wolves and were fortunate to not concede more goals.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
