Crouch: Benitez wants to be in control of everything, and Everton fans can't stand the ridicule of their sworn enemies

According to the Daily Mail, Crouch said that the players' incompatibility with Benitez's boring style was only one of the factors that made him leave the class, and more importantly, Everton fans felt that Liverpool fans were laughing at them.

Crouch wrote in his column: "Benitez is still a great coach, there is no doubt about it, but coaching Everton has never been an easy job, even if it is a coach as successful as he is. Once the team started losing, someone was held accountable, and Benitez unfortunately took on that responsibility.

Honestly, if he wasn't Benitez, the fans wouldn't be so angry. He's only been here for six months and maybe we wouldn't think about him dropping off, but Everton fans feel like Liverpool fans are laughing at them and it's unbearable for them.

I've written in a previous column that Benitez would be a man loved by the whole city. But that doesn't seem to be the case.

In the match against Norwich, the player's personal mistakes left him helpless, I don't know what happened inside the club, but from an outsider's point of view the players didn't seem to want to play for Benitez. Some of them haven't experienced much coaching yet, and based on the experience of playing under him, I can say that if the team wants to be successful, then everyone has to believe in his approach.

The training is not so enjoyable, but it is very organized and tactical, requiring the players to be highly focused. Players like small gameplay training and they want to practice shooting. I used to try to give myself extra training, but Benitez wouldn't allow me to do that, the players had to come strictly according to his training plan and every minute was scheduled.

Benitez wants to be in control of everything, he's always been an iconic figure, everyone has to go according to his plan, and if you don't do that it gets tricky.

When I was at Liverpool, there was a warm-up training session and each of us had to stand in our place, but the ball was in Benitez's hands and he would ask us: "What are you going to do with this ball?" "Then we'll move overall, keep the formation, that's what the warm-up is about: keep the formation.

It was a huge change for me, the atmosphere at Southampton was very relaxed and very different from Liverpool, it was the first time I went to a big club and I can only say to myself that maybe the big teams are like this.

I understand Benitez, he doesn't have much money to buy players and the team will be affected by injuries as well. But Everton didn't do a bad job defensively, they had a well-planned plan, so the defense was usually more solid.

It looks like Everton always keep a clean sheet and the goalkeeper is doing well, thanks to the whole team and their mentality. So when I see Norwich easily through midfield, it doesn't bode well. It was a very bad failure.

Who will Everton choose now? They have gone through many coaches with different styles since Moyes, but none of them have been successful. Benitez received a huge cheer when he came, but his departure also seemed inevitable.

（bled）