Rafa Benitez has revealed he took on the responsibility of becoming Everton manager becaue of his ‘affection for the city’. The Spaniard was sacked by the Blues in January after a dismal run of form which slowly saw the side dragged into a relegation battle despite a promising start to the season. Benitez’s appointment was questioned by many fans when first announced due to his past connections with Liverpool, and the 62-year-old has now explained why he accepted this job offer in the first place.
Rafa Benitez said: “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.”
