Ahead of this evening’s Merseyside derby, Everton boss Rafa Benitez has landed himself in a spot of bother with his players after one of them noticed a post-it in his office which said, “You manage Everton not Liverpool”, prompting questions about his loyalty to the blues.
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Having managed Liverpool between 2006-2010 where he delivered several trophies of which included the Champions League, Benitez remains a club legend at Anfield so was a controversial appointment at Goodison Park with some squad members convinced he would be acting as a double agent only here to sabotage Everton’s season.
“There’s a lot of truth in the double agent story as we haven’t won for a f*cking eternity and let in five against Watford. Why does he need to remind himself who he manages? Is that not a bit odd?” one player asked having seen the post-it in question.
Despite not going into much detail about what else he found in Rafa’s office, Paddy Power News understands other post-it messages were found with wording such as ‘we are the team wearing blue’, ‘Seamus Coleman not Steven Gerrard’, and ‘Istanbul 2005 <3’.
With no wins in their previous seven Premier League matches and fixtures against Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea on the horizon, it is understood Benitez is on very thin ice with the board who are eyeing up Kenny Dalglish, Roy Evans and Brendan Rodgers as possible replacements.
The Reds, on the other hand, are having no such thing as bad fortune, with the side two points off top and scoring goals for fun.
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In his pre-match press conference, Sadio Manè had nothing but kind words for everybody involved with Everton football club, referring to the fans as “salt of the earth” and the club staff as the “most accommodating in the game”.
“It’s a real pleasure visiting Goodison Park.”
“The fans, the staff and the players all make us feel extremely welcome, treat us like kings and let us leave with 3 points.
“It’s like a staycation and makes for a welcome break from the rigours of the Premier League. We always come away from this fixture feeling rejuvenated.”
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