It's pretty clear that RDZ says what he thinks. It's also pretty clear that what he says can be misinterpreted and a mountain is made (by fans, the media, etc) out of what he (and other managers) say. It also doesn't help that English isn't his first language, so there are nuances that are...
I think you're reading too much into it. How often does he say how good Hinshelwood is? Or praise Facundo, Ferguson and even Baleba? Loads of times.
He knows the score and he knew the score before he joined. The situation is amplified because of all the injuries but I certainly don't think...