New Everton manager Rafa Benítez says he is hoping to forge a winning mentality at the Premier League club and convince fans that he is the right man for the job, despite facing a backlash over his appointment in recent weeks.
The Spaniard was hired by Everton on a three-year deal last month, but the move proved to be an unpopular one given Benítez's illustrious past with Liverpool, who he managed from 2004 to 2010.
There will be plenty of people with mixed feelings on Merseyside on Wednesday. The initial rumors that ex-Liverpool manager Rafa Benítez was being considered for the Everton job were met with shock and disbelief, and now it's a done deal: Benítez returns to Merseyside to take charge of the Blues on a three-year contract.
We can confirm Rafael Benitez has been appointed as our new manager.
— Everton (@Everton) June 30, 2021
The build-up to every major international tournament is the same: who has the best striker? Or, this is why x midfielder is going to dominate or why this winger is the key to this country getting out of its group.
But no one ever talks about the goalkeepers. In such a short tournament, where three matches decide a team's fate, the importance of the goalkeeper becomes magnified.
So let's give the goalkeepers the spotlight for a little bit, because often they're the ones that end up deciding the tournament.
MADRID — Carlo Ancelotti returned to Real Madrid for a second spell as coach on Tuesday, re-joining the club from Everton, after agreeing a three-year deal at the Bernabeu.
The Italian was previously in charge of Real between 2013 and 2015, and replaces Zinedine Zidane, who left the La Liga club last month.
On Tuesday, England's 33-man preliminary squad was reduced to its final 26 members for the upcoming Euro 2020 tournament.
The likes of Jesse Lingard, James Ward-Prowse and Ollie Watkins were cut, while Manchester United's Mason Greenwood withdrew due to injury:
England's final 26-man squad, with the following seven missing out...
Aaron Ramsdale
Ben White
Ben Godfrey
James Ward-Prowse
Jesse Lingard
Ollie Watkins
Mason GreenwoodCorrect decisions?
LONDON — Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold earned a recall in a 33-man provisional England squad for Euro 2020 on Tuesday as manager Gareth Southgate played for time before whittling the numbers down.
The right-back was dropped in March for World Cup qualifiers but he made the cut in a squad that will be reduced to 26 players ahead of a June 1 UEFA deadline.
MANCHESTER, England — Sergio Agüero said goodbye to Manchester City in style as his double off the bench in his final match for the club helped them celebrate the Premier League title in style with a 5-0 thrashing of Everton at the Etihad on Sunday.
Agüero started on the bench as Pep Guardiola named a surprisingly strong starting team given they are playing in the Champions League final next week, but the Argentine could not be held back, helping condemn Everton to a 10th-placed finish.
Needing a win to be absolutely sure of being one of four Premier League Champions League qualifiers, Chelsea was garbage against Aston Villa on Sunday. But thanks to London rival Tottenham, the Blues clinched UCL qualification, backing into the top four to ensure Christian Pulisic will return to Europe’s premier club competition next season.
Every Premier League fan has those few players they believe should be banished from the league, whether it be a starter on their team that regularly makes costly errors, or the bench player who has as many first team appearances as loan spells.
When it comes to evaluating the worst players of the Premier League, one soon realizes there is a problematic paradox that arises. I refer to it as the mediocrity paradox:
No, you were not seeing things as Fabian Delph made a rare Premier League appearance while wearing the wrong socks, but it was hardly the most bizarre sight on Friday at the Emirates. Everton handed the Gunners a 1-0 defeat as keeper Bernd Leno committed the exact type of embarrassing own goal the Arsenal owners committed earlier in the week.
A week that began with Arsenal joining 11 much better clubs to try to create a Super League ended with massive protests outside Emirates Stadium calling for an end to Stan Kroenke’s ownership and yet another ignominious defeat on the pitch.