Possessions We Have…

Superpower AND soap opera this week.

Stuck records have never sounded so good.

But Seriously, it gets even more interesting these following days.


One member of our club's personnel is having his duties scrutinised, to say the very least.

Everyone has an opinion on the matter.

Yet despite Rafa's name being... well - everywhere, 
if we look at last Sunday's game of two halves, there's a lot that deserves talking about - for the right reasons, as well as wrong.

Please may I indulge in not just one, but THREE very interesting individual performances in our most recent fixture.


Anthony Gordon, an obvious standout player, to speak the obvious.

Very much celebrated for his mental strength in keeping going and going - even when the opposing team is functioning as a unit far more efficiently than his team-mates are in response. It was so clearly there when losing 2-0 and Lucas Digne shown his second red card for us, Gordon never let his head go down in a rare chance to play in Ancelotti's reign. It was there too throughout last Sunday's home defeat to Brighton; despite very tricky 1st-half weather making set-pieces hard to execute well - Gordon had much to feel hurt by, yet never allowed his conviction of play to be burst in lost confidence.

He clearly has the physical attributes too. Only a lack of positional awareness in possession (i.e. knowing where and when NOT to allow the ball to go out of play) could be labelled against him right now - experience of Premier League pace and patient coaching will hopefully iron this out of his game.

The question I pose to Benitez is not whether Gordon should play, but: "Does Anthony Gordon have the leadership charisma and character to take our club's terrible run of form quite literally by the neck - and bring more from those genuinely struggling for confidence of their own?".

It's a gamble, and I'm NOT necessarily saying his potential's a match for Steven Gerrard or Patrick Vieira, but what odds would any of you put on our under-pressure manager walking into the away dressing room this weekend and saying: "There's a new leader in this room. He'll be captaining 10-13 of you guys today. Don't expect Hull City, or anyone else for that matter, to give you an inch. Earn the right to be respected - and feared...".


I don't expect anything other than a full examination of everyone in blue and white in the F.A. Cup, but not only are we once again only six games away from the Europa League; winning it - with or without Rafa in 2022-23, everyone can move on, heads held high and with two key positions (again, hopefully) filled at 1st choice in squad.

This said, handing Gordon the captain's armband only raises new questions over one of our most loyal and dedicated professionals: Coleman.

It wasn't pretty watching Seamus clearly playing out of position, like many, struggling to make the best of a very ugly situation with our best left-footed player our goalkeeper.

But like Gordon, Coleman has always shown tremendous character in doing what's best for the team, and last Sunday's defeat did still offer much to feel good about the right-back still performing as a very solid back-up to Nathan Patterson for the next 15-27 months. Either dribbling the ball, or feeding off wall passes with midfielders, his ability to take possession from defence to attack is an art few in the Premier League do better - if any.

Responsibility for ensuring the best team effort works on the pitch is ultimately down to the person who selects the team. But with Mykolenko AND Patterson now here at the club, Rafa has many options the doom-and-gloom media merchants seem to have lost sight of. In Seamus Coleman's case, the Irish international can now play the right of three centre-backs and take turns with Ben Godfrey to assume the role of sweeper - when the game allows. That's a mouth-watering prospect in itself - for going back to July 24th 2020: who won the corner-kick at a boiling hot Carrow Road 2nd-half, which Michael Keane headed the first and only goal against a soon-to-be relegated Norwich City?


There are many other options Rafael Benitez can now deploy with both these very promising signings - another event our club as a whole can draw much pride and anticipation over; returning to high-tempo 4-3-3 just one.

But in the short-term, pride of character was also in evidence with another young player.


When we watched a very raw JonJoe Kenny playing in a struggling team, sympathy for the then-teenage full-back was afforded by myself, and I hope many others too. Like Demarai Gray, Kenny had a big point to prove - that he was going to be a Premier League success and was prepared to travel abroad to Germany AND Scotland to make it happen.

Though far from a finished article, plus against a dedicated, all-round opponent in Brighton; when risks needed to be taken to peg back a 0-2 deficit, Kenny was there to help his midfielders retain possession - albeit often with the help of a backpass to Jordan Pickford. Allan and Doucoure would've appreciated this a lot, in the trust that defence could become attack with as minimal fuss as was needed.


Yes, despite all the above, major concerns of Benitez's plans and actions this season still exist.

All-too-often being second off the mark upon the 1st-half kick-off among the most paramount of addressing. (After all, Rafa staked his reputation of man-management by using a lot of his short Summer preseason time instructing his players of what he wanted them to do on the pitch.)

But ending this horrible run of form with a 1-2 away win in the Cup in Yorkshire, though only pressing pause on managerial firing for now, is the ideal rest-bite for players who, trying their best they may well be as individuals, must deliver as a team - and get back into the top half of the table without any unnecessary delay.