Premier League: Rafa Benitez didn't fail at Everton because of his Liverpool connection

So, another manager has failed to fix the mess that is Everton Football Club. The casualty this time was Rafa Benitez. The man who masterminded the miracle in Istanbul and achieved legendary status at the home of their arch-rivals, Liverpool. So, was it any surprise to see him get the boot?

From the beginning, Rafa Benitez at Everton didn't seem the right choice. It was a marriage that was bound to fail at some point. But it has unravelled more quickly than expected for the Spaniard, who has been in charge for less than seven months.

Rafa Benitez and Everton fans: A troubled relationship

Everton fans never warmed up to Rafa Benitez during his tenure at the club

Coming from the riches of the Chinese Super League, Benitez had the insurmountable task of appeasing the Everton faithful and winning over a talented and highly expensive group of players.

His fraught relationship with the Liverpool faithful meant that he would always have a hard time at Goodison Park. Even a slight spell of bad form was expected to spell doom for the 61-year-old. But was it purely down to his past connections with Liverpool that he was sacked?

Everton have won just a single game out of their last 13 matches in the English Premier League. They picked up only six points out of a possible 39 in this run. Any Premier League manager would be under serious pressure after such a spell of bad results.

Rafa Benitez's journey as Everton manager

Rafa Benitez's spell as Everton coach saw him getting increasingly unpopular with the team's support base

Everton actually started the season brightly with a 3-1 win against Southampton in their first game. Four wins from their first seven matches meant that they were 5th in the league table at the start of October.

Their results included a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford and encouraging wins against Norwich, Burnley, Southampton, and Brighton.

But they have been in a freefall ever since, which has left them 16th in the table, just six points above the relegation zone. The 1-2 loss against relegation-threatened Norwich was the final nail in the coffin.

To put things into perspective, Norwich have lost their last six Premier League games and haven't scored in any of them. This amounts to 10 hours without a goal.

Real reasons for Rafa Benitez's axing

Everton have endured a miserable spell of bad results under Rafa Benitez's leadership

As much as the 1-4 derby defeat to Liverpool, it's the losses against the clubs below them that have played a significant role in Benitez's sacking.

They lost 2-5 to Watford, who were winless in four games, despite leading 2-1 with 12 minutes to go. They lost 2-3 to Brighton, who had one win in their last 13 matches, and they also went down 1-3 to Crystal Palace, who themselves were coming off a winless streak of four games.

Benitez will point to the fact that he was without his best players for a large chunk of the season. Star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who scored 3 goals in the first three games, suffered a quadriceps injury and was out of action for four months. Midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure and centre-half Yerry Mina also suffered long-term injuries.

Losing the spine of the team is not ideal but there is enough quality in this Everton squad to at least be in the top half of the table. Benitez was brought in for his experience and tactical acumen. But the Spanish manager has made some questionable decisions in his time at the Goodison Park.

Failures in strategy and tactics

Farhad Moshiri (left) has splurged money on Everton but, to no avail

For all the talk before the season that the former Liverpool manager will organize the defence well and make The Toffees into a tough side, they have actually conceded 35 goals in 20 games. Only five teams have conceded more goals than them this season.

In the game against Norwich, he deployed a 4-4-2 formation with Salomon Rondon dropping off to play as a No.10 when he clearly doesn't have the technical ability to play there. Several tactical blunders like these have ultimately cost Benitez his job.

Some of the blame has to be pointed at the club's administration and in particular the owner Farhad Moshiri. One thing we can't fault him for is the club's spending in the transfer market since his takeover in 2016.

Everton have spent close to £600m in his time, surpassing the likes of Liverpool in net-spend. But his lack of patience with the managers - five have already been shown the door - has left the club in shambles.

The British-Iranian businessman heavily backed Benitez's appointment and seemed to give the Spaniard a free rein at the club. Benitez fell out with one of his best players in Lucas Digne and sold him off to their direct rivals Aston Villa.

He also had the last say in the club's transfer policy with the sacking of Director of Football, Marcel Brands, and Head of Medical Services, Dan Donachie. After being supported through all these measures, Benitez was eventually sacked. This indicates the state of the club at the moment.

Moshiri has now appointed Frank Lampard as the new manager. He has a tough job on his hands. Moshiri once again seems to have delivered in the transfer market with the loan deals of Donny Van de Beek and Dele Alli. But with Frank's CV, along with the Everton players who have now seen off five managers, the situation doesn't look great for The Toffees' fans.