Rafa Benitez deals with Everton problem that Carlo Ancelotti never faced
Liverpool Echo

For Everton there is no escaping the disappointment of defeat, even with the extenuating circumstances which surrounded the loss to Aston Villa.

This was always going to be the most tricky game of the season so far for Rafa Benitez, against a side with lofty ambitions of their own across 2021/22.

That was the case before the dire injury situation for the Blues became apparent.

When the boss faced the media on Thursday afternoon, he was discussing the potential fitness of James Rodriguez - while confirming Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Fabian Delph's respective absences.

But, in the following days, more rumours began to come to the surface about the availability of other members of the squad.

Demarai Gray's absence from the club's latest behind-the-scenes video from Finch Farm sparked talk that he might miss this weekend's game, but thankfully that didn't come to fruition.

However Everton were still rather unexpectedly left without three more key stars - Richarlison, Jordan Pickford and Seamus Coleman.

All three were missed on Saturday. The leadership of their captain is something the Blues certainly could have used in the second half, never mind his ability as a right-back, and similarly the organisational skill and dependability of the starting goalkeeper would have added a fair amount to the back line.

But it was the absence of the Brazilian which really strikes home, especially when considered next to Calvert-Lewin's spell on the sidelines.

These are two of Everton's most important players in the squad, the talismanic figures that have so often led their teammates through rough spells in recent months and years.

When one is unavailable, usually you would expect the other to step right into the fold. Thankfully for the Blues, neither are particularly injury-prone and so this isn't an issue that occurs too regularly.

In fact, their respective fitness is put into stark context when you consider this - since Marco Silva was sacked, Saturday's loss was the first league match that neither Calvert-Lewin or Richarlison played a part in.

That perfectly summarises the impact and the importance of the pair in this current Everton side, and they certainly felt the effect of having neither at Villa Park.

In normal circumstances, you expect Salomon Rondon would not have started a match so early in his time on Merseyside. He put in a great shift and worked very hard, but it was clear in the second half how much he tired.

When it was clear that the Venezuela international had to come off the pitch, Benitez was forced to be creative with his solution.

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That led to Andre Gomes being brought into the midfield and Alex Iwobi playing almost as a false nine, before the ever-impressive Gray eventually came more central when the game was already lost.

The manager remarked in the aftermath of the game: "I was trying to do that [be creative], we knew that playing in that game would bring a problem for the next game against Queens Park Rangers, because he's our only striker.

"Simms was out for six months and is a young lad, so we have to be creative to find solutions."

This is an issue that Carlo Ancelotti never had to face during his time as Everton manager, not for a Premier League match at the very least.

The closest the Italian got to a similar situation came against Wolves in January of this year, which produced a hard-fought 2-1 win on that occasion.

He also had to get creative with his line-up having no Calvert-Lewin, while only being able to name Richarlison on the bench.

Lucas Digne played further forward as a left midfielder, with James Rodriguez playing up front on that occasion and with four traditional centre-backs making up the back line in front of Pickford.

It was far from ideal but it did manage to produce three points, with Richarlison eventually coming on as a 74th minute substitute just minutes before Michael Keane headed in the winner.

Unfortunately for Benitez, his "creative" solution on Saturday evening didn't quite have the same effect.

In the end, other injuries across the pitch also contributed and eventually took their toll, as the hosts could bring some big-money signings from the bench to secure their win.

On the balance of the entire game, a draw could have honestly been a fair result for a depleted away side - and Benitez has to take that thinking forwards.

The manager will again be without Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, among others of course, for the trip to face Queens Park Rangers in the League Cup.

The same will likely be the case for the visit of Norwich City to Goodison Park the following weekend, while it could potentially be a little too early to tell who will be available against Manchester United a week later.

It's yet another early test for the new manager to be without two influential players in the same area of the pitch, while the man brought in to be back-up isn't quite up to full fitness yet.

The Spaniard has talked of "creative" solutions already and that will have to be the case again, potentially putting some amount of pressure on Rodriguez to recover quickly from his muscle complaint to alleviate at least some of the issue.

Regardless, missing both Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison is something Ancelotti very rarely had to deal with, if ever. For Benitez, it's happened within five matches of his Premier League tenure with the club.

It sheds some much-needed perspective on what was a disappointing, but certainly nowhere near disastrous, first loss as manager.