‘He’s doomed’ – Murphy fears the worst for Benitez at Everton

Jason Soutar
Danny Murphy during a broadcast for Premier Sports

Danny Murphy believes Rafael Benitez is “doomed” at Everton amidst their poor run of form.

Benitez’s appointment as Toffees’ manager was not widely accepted by the club’s fanbase due to his previous employment with arch-rivals Liverpool.

The Spaniard spent six years as Reds boss, winning the Champions League and FA Cup during his time at Anfield.


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He got off to a strong start at Goodison Park, winning three of his first four league matches at the helm before a 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa.

The Toffees are now 14th in the Premier League table having lost seven of their last nine matches. Their only win since September came against Arsenal last Monday.

They have struggled with injuries, losing Dominic Calvert-Lewin in August, which has not helped Benitez’s attempts to turn things around.

And former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy believes the 61-year-old manager is “doomed” on Merseyside.

“He’s doomed,” Murphy told talkSPORT. “He doesn’t have the squad to pull it round.

“He can’t take Everton to a level he needs to for the Evertonians to be happy with that squad.

“When he first went in there I thought from a footballing perspective, what he’s done before, it looked like a decent appointment.

“I forgot, not living in the area and not thinking about it, about the Liverpool connection and the things he said about Everton, it was always destined to end in turmoil.”

Furthermore, there are rumours that Benitez is losing the dressing room. According to reports, Lucas Digne was not included due to a fallout with the Spaniard.

And during Sunday’s defeat at Crystal Palace, Benitez substituted striker Richarlison, who was visibly not happy with his manager’s decision.

Murphy added: “Rafa’s got a history of falling out with players who don’t tow the line.

“Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres, John Terry, at Real Madrid you had Ramos, Ronaldo and Alonso being the obvious one at Liverpool.

“What he’s done with Digne, he’s cut his nose off to spite his face. Maybe he’s not playing because he’s questioned him.

“But he’s put Ben Godfrey, who’s a centre-back, at left-back. And he can’t play at left-back, Jordan Ayew destroyed him.”