BlueChampions The Chelsea FC Blog – views, opinions, discussions, debates, polls, videos . . .
Rafa Benitez. The name that evokes varied emotions among all chelsea fans. Some hate him. Some like him. Some tolerate him. Some have warmed up to him. But almost nobody wanted him. Look I don’t like most of these managers in rival clubs. When Rafa was at Liverpool he was a football figure I loved to hate. Part of it was also because he ruined some important moments for us. None of it was because he said certain things about Chelsea.
He’s not the most gifted with words. His English vocabulary is very limited. He does come out a bit raw, unpolished and naive at times. Even otherwise, we should know that players and managers will have strong allegiances towards their clubs and use any means to take an advantage over the opposition. When he was a manager at a (then) big club, he took some jibes at a rival club which I think is normal. Unfortunately for him, his ploy to get closer to the Liverpool fan base has now resulted in him getting distanced from the Chelsea fan base.
As I’ve said before, Rafa Benitez was not even my last choice to be Chelsea manager. I’d have preferred to go managerless instead of hiring Rafa because I’m just another bitter Chelsea fan who hated him and his jibes. With his stint at Inter, he further became a laughing stock for me. I’ve had so much fun and laughter at the expense of this man. There was no way I was going to want him to manage Chelsea. But then, as it always happens, Roman had other ideas.
If you look at it this way, this is a very shrewd appointment. We don’t know yet who would be our permanent manager (or we are waiting for him). So clearly we needed only an interim manager. To sign a good manager with the right pedigree on a short term basis is actually a good move. It’s a win-win for all except the fans that simply can’t stand him.
Rafa Benitez joined us on a short term contract that most league and champions league managers wouldn’t agree. As soon as he became the manager of Chelsea, I’ve dropped all the hate I had for him. He’s after all now the manager of my club working for the success of my club. And he’s a good manager, mind. His initial few games were a bit rocky but it’s fair to say that he’s steadied the ship.
Yes, we should have won the club world cup. That will go down as a blot in his (probably) short Chelsea career. But that game came a bit too early for his liking I think. He was facing a psychological battle. He was trying to pick up a team that’s disappointed with getting knocked out of a competition that they won last season and looked to doubt its abilities. It’s taken little bit of time for him.
RDM did a similar ship-steadying act last season. But he had the luxury of doing that with some experienced and great players who would pick themselves up and deliver (like they did under Grant). Rafa’s challenge is different. He was missing several key players because they are injured or because they don’t play for the club anymore. He has much younger and less experienced team for many of them it’s their first season with the club or in the league.
If I’m honest Rafa has done a very good job so far. We have lost more games than we should have but it should be no surprise that our away form has been much better than at Fortress Stamford Bridge. But still as you can see it’s still work in progress. And we are progressing in the capital one cup and are strong favourites to win the trophy.
And I thought it’s quite obvious that the team has improved under Rafa. We are lot more solid these days. We are harder to beat than we were under RDM. This season, we were always vulnerable under RDM. Our defence was a disaster waiting to happen and wins were turning into draws. And draws were turning into defeats.
To be fair to RDM, we were doing just fine until Mark Clattenburg decided to earn his Christmas bonus from Fergie. And then the racial abuse allegation happened. We had surely lost focus during that episode. Even the capital one cup win against Man Utd was not very convincing. It’s normal for teams to lose focus and take their foot off the pedal but normal is not good enough at Chelsea. He had to pay the price.
In our recent defensive performances, we can see the Rafa effect. You see the team lot more goal tight than we have been this season. You see the team working as one defensive unit. Most importantly, the hall mark of Rafa Benitez is clearly visible – pragmatism. Winning and conceding corners, giving away and taking up throw ins, when to show boat and when not to, when to clear and when not to etc. Clearly the whole team played like all that matters to them is a win.
It is still work in progress. Many point out that when RDM left we were third with 4 points off the top spot and now we are fourth and 14 points off (one game in hand though). But to be fair to him, the Chelsea free fall had started in the last few weeks of RDM’s reign and it simply continued under Rafa and all he’s trying to do us to resurrect.
Rafa is known to be a stubborn man. He has his principles and methods and he sticks to them. He gets proven wrong but he still persists with them and that’s why he’s known to be a stubborn manager. But he takes decisions and risks. And that’s why it becomes easy to criticise him. My biggest gripe about Carlo Ancelotti was that he took no risks whatsoever. At least Rafa is unlike him. He fails sometimes because he tries something.
Your risks and gambles work better when you know your team inside out and have a strong connection and bonding with them and you have to get your slice of luck. I think it’s still early days for Benitez to gamble too much at Chelsea. But he has a certain way of going about.
I’m no fan of Benitez. I’ve ridiculed and mocked him so much that I can’t believe I’m even writing this. But I’m convinced that he’s doing a decent job and he should allowed to do his job peacefully. This whole campaign against Rafa, attacking Rafa is such a cowardly act from some Chelsea fans. Rafa didn’t appoint himself. He was appointed by Roman and the board. If they really want to protest, they should protest against the Board and Roman and not against Rafa.
As I’ve said before, I don’t support this continuing 16th minute tribute for RDM. Doing that in the first game since his sack was a good gesture and an opportunity for us to thank the man who had a key role in our champions league win. And this 16th min tribute no longer seems to be about RDM. It’s purely being used as another form of ‘anti-Rafa’ campaign.
Everyone associated with football will know the positive impact of the home crowd and the extent of damage it can cause when it goes against the team. The attendances are falling. The booing and chanting from the ‘Rafa out’ camp is not dying down. There was even a news item that Roman was updated of the twitter meltdown that happened after Chelsea lost to Swansea at Stamford Bridge.
It’s a catch-22 situation. The home form is poor because of the home support. The home support is poor because of the home form. In my view, looking at how well we are doing in the away games, I’m certain that the home support is what’s causing the poor home form. No player wants to hear the boos at home. Doesn’t matter who it’s aimed at. No player wants the manager that he plays for to be ridiculed. It’s not a great feeling. Never gives you the feeling that there are about 35,000 are fully behind you and rooting for your win.
All said, I still don’t think he’s the man to take Chelsea to the beautiful future. He’s an interim manager and that’s how I treat him and assess him. I’m certainly not convinced that he can be our medium or long term manager. I don’t think he has the charisma or persona that I would expect in a Chelsea manager. But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t get my support for him as an interim manager.
We all know that Roman has higher and tougher standards than any Chelsea fan when it comes assessing his managers’ performance. We know he is ruthless and decisive. If Rafa is not doing well, you don’t need a campaign to oust him. He’d be gone. There’s no room for doubt in the Chelsea managerial job. They say the buck stops with the manager but that’s not entirely true at Chelsea and that’s why after sacking AVB, Roman had to blast the Chelsea players for their role is the poor show so far and why they need buck up or get out.
Roman knows when to sack a manager. So I’d just leave that with him. I do recognise and appreciate the job that Rafa has played in the last 6 weeks. I’m sure he can improve this team further. Only if he gets some support that a manager of any team would expect from the fans of his club. It pains me to see that our away form is way better than the home form. For our home form, the blame doesn’t just lie with the manager and the players. It should also extend to the home fans who’ve been giving a hard time for the manager and in a way on the players too.
Whether you like Rafa Benitez or not, you can’t change the fact that he’s our manager. Like I said on twitter, I’m neither in ‘RAFA OUT’ camp nor in the ‘RAFA IN’ camp. I’m probably in the ‘RAFA NOW’ camp. The camp that supports the manager without really having to fall in love with him. The camp that knows that if he does a good job, he’s good for Chelsea and if he doesn’t do a good job, he doesn’t stand a chance with Roman. So then, RAFA NOW!
Ended up being a long article than I thought. Had to remove a comment that asked me grow some balls and take a stance. Must have been an illiterate. I’ve been so clear on my stance. Short term: Yes to Rafa. Long term: No to Rafa. As long as Rafa is manager: Support Rafa.
I kind of sent the same kind of message to the Chelsea Supporters Group (CSG) in the early hours of today. Actually wanted to have a dig at Trizia Fiorellino. That woman poses in an old Chelsea shirt,just shows she lives in the past. I might sound childish with that but I’m fuelled by anger because the season is moving on and the effect of their actions at Stamford Bridge is clearly having an effect on our home results. I’m happy atleast someone shares my view on this whole situation,thank you BlueChampion.
Thank Zane. A top four finish this season is more difficult than the last season. Given all the drama, I wish we’d supported our team through in the stadium and keep all the protests outside the stadium. Rafa will go. By the time he leaves if we are not in top four, he will find another job but which top manager or player would want to join Chelsea? Even in our most selfish reasons, we should give total support to Chelsea staff and players during match time at Stamford Bridge.
Slightly off-topic but I thoroughly enjoyed this great piece from Gleb Belov over at Chelsea FC Blog. Spot on. My views exactly. http://www.chelseafcblog.com/2013/01/17/rafael-benitez-enough-is-enough/
“I was against Pep Guardiola from the start as I feel he himself knows he isn’t good enough for anything but Barcelona (that sounds really weird, but I do hope you see my point). And his decision proves the point. He’s a coward. He picked the easiest option. He picked the option with very few challenges. And the shame in that is that we won’t see him fail.
Because the guy probably can do a good enough job of training a group of football players. And that’s all they need from him at Bayern Munich. The rest is handled by professionals. So he’ll probably win the Champions League with them and the league and people will praise him even more, despite the fact that he’s basically managing Barca II.
He’s evading all the challenges of the modern game. The rich crazy owners, the crazy star-struck out of control players, the crazy press, just the overall chaos of the Premier League and… let’s say, Real Madrid. The things Jose Mourinho craves, Pep is afraid of. That’s why he’ll never be better. He’s a smart, smart man, who knows his stuff, but this calculated approach shows the real Pep. He has the balls to realize what a failure he’d be at Manchester City, Chelsea or even Paris Saint-Germain (or AC Milan…) and what a devastating blow it may have on his career.
Barca is actually doing better without him. They were an amazing team before him, with Frank Rijkaard. Sure, he just ended up in a time period when the team truly blossomed and gained its trophies. He made some great decisions, but within the framework of his home club, home team, surrounded by awesome players. He’s smart but he ain’t no Jose. He isn’t a winner at heart. I’m not, either. That’s why I admire people who are. So it’s all for the better. He would have fared no better than Andre Villas-Boas at Chelsea.”
Its begs the question is Pep a strong enough character to endure the torrents of media hounding he would have had as a Chelsea manager? Cos lets face it, he would have become media enemy number 1 if he had joined us. So lets say he didnt join us, and he didnt, but joined citeh instead. But no he didnt go there either. he always came across as light skinned. Even though his Barca team was loved by the Spanish press, he flared up at the least criticism. So well done Pep, but this shows the world what kind of man you are.
It is amazing this kind of disgusting write up is frm a chelsea fan in all sincerity u not a fan but ordinary football spectator. If u said is working in progress 4 Benitez so what is it 4 RDM, we all knew we released some players and brought in some quality player we needed 2 change our style of play and RDM did just that. I think we’ve learnt our lesson we are ingrate 4 letting Di Mateo left so we are now paying D PRICE. If u dont know what to write keep ur pen 2 ur pocket or make no attend in hitting any keyboard or pad. We true fans are really in agony we want our game back the way we played under d mateo Benitez are using our players wrongly especially Oscar and Mata. Oscar should play at the centre not wide in order to see his best is the best ten we hav never had. Marin can play out wide if Mata is tired mr manager u need to learn frm ur mistakes, dat no 10 is too heavy for Mata or better allow them to rotate their positions and see what will happen.
@youmah: Sorry fella. I don’t understand why you think I’m not a Chelsea fan (apart from the fact you disagree with me). The whole discussion on Rafa Benitez now has nothing to do with RDM or the fairness of his sacking. If you think you want Rafa sacked now (RAFA OUT) which I think is your stance, provide your explanations so we all can understand.
Rafa making tactical errors (as far as you’re concerned) doesn’t sound like a good enough reason to sack an interim manager after 8 weeks.
@YOUMAH. I completely disagree with you. RDM wasn’t able to change tactics when his original game plan looked to be failing. With Oscar,Mata and Hazard in the same line up,the team lacks width.
Oscar is a natural trequarista (N10). Mata is way superior to him and it’s his job to try and do a better job than Mata. Keep in mind that every team has about two players for every position,except for strikers in which teams play two up top.
If Oscar wants that 10 role then he has to up his game and gain form. Benitez do rotate them,remember the QPR game? If you look at the games when Oscar starts and Mata is on the bench,we look like we are struggling and that’s why Mata is superior.
Other than that,RDM’s team leaked goals and plenty of it. Rafa has tightend that up but I feel the reason behind the two goals we conceded against Southampton is because we lacked a power player in the midfield with Mikel here in South Africa for the AFCON Cup and Luiz back in defense.
There’s two types of people in the world. Leaders and followers or as I like to call them,shepards and sheep. Sheep have no logic and they usually follow the herd (crowd).
Those people who plot,urge fans to boycott games and boo at Stamford Bridge are leaders to those who listen but in my mind they are rebelious sheep with no logic whatsoever. People love and hate the British press. I hate it personally.
Look at the Torres situation as an example. He is struggling because the team isn’t playing to his strengths. Almost all his goals aren’t from tight spaces where he had to fight off defenders in a crowded box.
Go look at the goals he scored for Liverpool and Spain. If you understand what I’m talking about then that’s why Torres was one of the most lethal strikers before his move to Chelsea where he didn’t fit the long ball game and now the overpassing new style. The press write crap.
Journalists who don’t know the game write crap about him when he isn’t scoring only because of his £50 million price tag and most of all because he’s a Chelsea player. We all know everyone hates us so they write and chant crap about us. Why is it that they are not writing crap about Wayne Rooney who has less goals than Torres?
People are easy to listen and believe and that makes them sheep. They can’t use their logic to think for themselfs.
so you believe Rafa has tactic u aren’t see nothing by the time we are totally no where u will see. He said is rotating players right haven’t u see that Mata need rest right now or are u watching our matches eyes closed. Mata have been losing balls lately and check our penalty against stoke which was a good call, Mata supposed to have passed the ball to Ba the free man. Pls our midfield is not playing well especially when Lamp is on pitch I dont say he is not supplying passes but is not performing his duties. Pls watch our matches with no bias b4 ur conclusion.
Our manager should wise up Mata without Harzard or Mata on the pitch will yield nothing so concerning that match it was Oscar all alone even Harzard without one of the 2 will yield nothing Mata is scoring and also missing chances is my chelsea no1 player anyday anytime but at times he is a shadow of himself. Rafa should learn how 2 use Oscar well that lad is a genius. Do u know Oscar work rate is more than that of Mata bcos Oscar always tracked down opponent not like fragile Mata . Our holding mid fielders doesn’t know their position pls watch closely they cant even connect defence with attack try Oscar there or make him a moving 4 and see. U will see our manager is not tactical he doesn’t have plan B.
Deleting comments you don’t like.. real cool BC
No. Deleting comments that add nothing to the discussion and are meant only to insult and flame. Read the comments policy. Added zero value to the discussion. That’s why. And you go into moderation from now on. I’ll delete both your comment and my reply later.
BlueChampion. My mobile doesn’t allow me to create paragraphs. Thanks for the edit.
@Zane: No worries. Just try hitting the enter or return key a couple of times. That creates a paragraph by itself.
@Zane: You are right. We need a creative midfielder to give a rest to some players, Romeu is injured, we need someone to control this important part of the pitch and give the ball to our offensive players. It is not Rafa’s fault. 1Thanks.
@MATBLUE: I’ve always maintained that Pep is not ready yet for the big bad world of football management. In Barca, he did have the best of everything – players, academy, stadium, support, board – everything was on a plate. In Chelsea, it would be a rude shock for him to know that there are so many barriers he need to work through or be concerned before he can do what he wants to do.
I have been keeping quiet for a long time, but I just can’t take this anymore, this Rafa Benitez will ruin this club. I for one have never called for manager’s to be sacked, I backed Carlo, backed AVB and was devastated to know Robbie was sacked, but when it comes to Rafa, i simply hate this man and all he stands for and his football philosophy. He wants to not lose a match, before he wins a match, and this is exactly what dragged Liverpool to where they are now! His substitutions don’t make any sense, he decides to put the wrong players in at the wrong time. He makes like for like subs, bringing a defender on for a defender when we are losing the match, and today against Newcastle it was a brilliant example. We fight back to go 2-1 up and right away you see us sit back and start to defend, rather then go on the attack and nick another goal and put the game to rest. But no and the inevitable happened, they scored, the lads heads dropped and they DESERVEDLY scored the winner. That’s 4 away games without a win now, and these teams consist of Swansea, Brentford, Reading and Newcastle, with all due respect to those teams but we shouldn’t be struggling to pick up a win against any of them! I don’t care what Rafa says about the team playing every 3 days and what not, the team consists of 23 players, while 23 players are out on loan, if you are struggling then get 2 or 3 players back from loan to cover certain areas. But honestly looking at the way Rafa sets up the team, his tactics (which even some players have admitted, they do not understand) and his mentality seriously boils my blood. This is Chelsea FC, look at the players at our disposal, give them to Mancini or Sir Alex and they will tear the league apart with them, but that is exactly the difference between a stable club and us. I’m done, i just can’t watch us become the laugh of the town cause of this fat Spanish waiter!!