Former Everton manager Rafael Benitez has explained why he took the job at the club last summer.
Following the surprise departure of Carlo Ancelotti as the Italian returned to Real Madrid, the Blues turned to the former Liverpool boss in a controversial move. After starting the campaign well, results quickly fell away and the Spaniard was sacked in January in the wake of a latest dismal defeat away to bottom-of-the-table Norwich City.
Frank Lampard took over the role a few weeks later and eventually helped to bring supporters together in crucial fashion towards the end of the season, with incredible scenes regularly outside Goodison Park and Finch Farm to secure a dramatic survival in the penultimate match of the term.
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Benitez has recently spokenon a few occasions about his time at the club, and has now explained why he accepted the job in the first place. He cited a love of the city behind his decision, and explained where the problems lay when he was in charge.
He told Marca [via SportWitness ]: "I took Everton because I had a lot of Blues friends who wanted an experienced manager to put right a lot of the things they knew weren’t, and aren’t, right in there.
"Liverpool fans understand it was a professional and personal decision because of my affection for the city. Most understood that.
"It wasn’t as if I had signed for United, for example. But the Everton project stayed there: there was no investment, and we had a lot of injuries.
"We lost the backbone of the team and some crucial points. Still, we were six points clear of relegation with two games in hand."
Everton had one win in their last 13 Premier League matches ahead of Benitez's sacking, losing nine games in that same spell.
