MATCH CENTRE

Benitez's Pre-Match Message To Blues Fans

Today is another big challenge and there are some areas where our team needs to be more precise to have the best chance of winning the game.

The attitude and character of the players is exactly what I want. Everyone has the desire to compete and learn and get the maximum from themselves.

As you have seen in every game, It is a group that is determined to do well for Everton and make you proud watching our team.  Even in midweek at Queens Park Rangers, we came back twice. It is always bad to concede first, but the team is fighting back.

Anyway, the disappointment was huge, then, when we went out of the Carabao Cup.

There were some good things in the match but we were punished for the parts of the game where we must get better.

We were not accurate or composed enough in the final third. Some chances were missed and our decision-making, like against Aston Villa last week, wasn’t of a high standard.

The attacking unit is the most difficult to improve because so much depends on the players. There are positive signs because we are having a lot of attempts in every game – 95 in seven matches – and have scored 14 goals.

But I know – and the players understand – it is vital to make better choices and be more clinical in some situations.


At the back, we must be stronger and defend as a team. The goals we conceded at QPR could have been stopped with more awareness of what was happening off the ball.

If the focus and communication aren’t perfect, the opponents will take advantage.

A solid base provides the platform for a clear and positive approach and enables a team to generate momentum.

One of the most difficult things in football is to have a compact and organised defence and, at the same time, an attack that is creating many chances.

We are trying to find this balance but it is still so early.

I said after we began with five unbeaten matches that we had done nothing yet.

And the sentiment is no different after two disappointing results.

Ultimately, we lost at Aston Villa because of nine bad minutes.

Against QPR, the details in a few moments let us down. The intensity we took on the field was good and the spirit and personality were evident in how we reacted to conceding goals.

We had the right response after going behind last time at Goodison Park, too.

Our performance in the first half against Burnley wasn’t so good but you stayed positive because you’ve seen your team react in the right way in some matches already this season.

That patience and support was so vital and it gave the players the confidence to come back in the manner you expected. By the end, our football was purposeful and aggressive and provided a glimpse of the style and consistency we are trying to achieve over time.

Rafa Benitez
Your patience and support was so vital and it gave the players the confidence to come back in the manner you expected.


We welcome Daniel Farke and the staff and players of Norwich City.

They had a very tough start with the fixtures but in a couple of games the margins between winning and losing were incredibly fine.

Daniel has done a fantastic job. I know how difficult it is to win the Championship and he has managed it twice in three seasons.

Norwich play with speed and intent and we will need all the qualities I talked about – attitude, precision and concentration – for our team to win.

We are missing important players and every team in the league would suffer a little bit if you took out some key attackers and the captain.

But it happens in football. It is up to the manager and the staff to manage the situation as well as possible.

It is a chance for players coming into the team to show they understand what we want and for others to accept more responsibility. 

Every player in training is showing how much they want to be on the pitch and this competition is what every manager wants.

These are my final notes before the beginning of Black History Month and World Mental Health Day on 5 October.

Our All Together Now campaign celebrates diversity and Everton is a club that embraces equality and inclusion.

There is no room for any form of prejudice in football or society and we will continue to fervently support the movement for racial justice.

I know about Everton in the Community and its commitment to helping members of our community most in need.

The charity changes lives and I am looking forward to learning more about EitC and meeting staff and participants from its various programmes.

Enjoy the game,

Rafa Benitez