Rafa Benitez- A Losing Battle

Since Benitez took the reins of Chelsea Football Club, the once Liverpool boss has struggled to win over a 'minority of fans with an agenda', that agenda being Rafa out. He's constantly barraged with banners, unfavourable chanting and boos and that can have adverse effects on the team. 

Photo- metro.co.uk (AP)

Benitez once had an undoubted rivalry with the club he is now employed by during his time with Liverpool. And that didn't stand him in good stead when he was appointed interim manager, which he himself has labelled as a "mistake".

I felt that Benitez was always the second choice of Roman Abramovic, but the Russian's plan has backfired somewhat. Everybody knows that as soon as Josep Guardiola announced he was leaving the post of Barcelona manager, with whom he won fourteen major trophies,  he was the one that Chelsea thought could lead the club forward. The Blues were left with a real kick in the teeth as Bayen Munchen snapped up his signature. 

You always felt that Rafa was a last resort and the fans were unfortunately on the Spaniard's back right from the first minute. He hit out at the club and the clubs fans in a press conference on Thursday whilst also stating: "I won't be here at the end of the season, so why should they [the fans] be worried?" 

He's clearly frustrated and I'm sure many managers would react in a similar way if they were met with such hostility. Many football pundits alike have shown some sympathy for the Blues' boss, agreeing that his position at the club is largely untenable. I think that this debate is much more than just the players performances, although, given the quality of the squad, they too are underachieving. Benitez has admitted that confidence throughout the team is low and said: "We have young players in their first year in the Premier League.

"If you cannot cope with the physical demands of the game, you cannot show your quality so we have to give them confidence".

I also feel that the Lampard saga has been an unwelcome distraction, and some fans have vented their frustrations about how the situation was handled. I'd have to agree. Lampard has been showed little respect by the club but, should that be down to Benitez? Should a manager have to deal with that side of things; contracts, agents, transfer fees etc? Is that right for a modern day manager? A need, in fact? With all the retrospective positions at the club, managers should not be drawn in to that specific area of the game. A minority of Chelsea fans have taken advantage, I feel, of this situation that Rafa's been dragged into. 

It's out of the former Valencia and Inter man's hands though, and there have been talks of him not even making the end of the 2012/13 campaign. It's not all doom and gloom though, as his side are in the quarter-finals of the F.A. Cup after their 2-0 triumph at Middlesborough, and are still in with a shout of the Europa League. I do feel though that Benitez is facing an even steeper hill to climb his way up to earn the respect of the Chelsea fans. 

That's not going to happen though, is it?




By Adam May.