He has performed better than Chelsea fans deserve him to. They should remember they used to be ****e pre-Abramovich and now they are too big for Euro finals.
Sad.
Sad.
-
Modifying post. -
I think some of them will miss him. There are a few Chavs who have some common sense and can appreciate what Rafa has done under such difficult working conditions."Its not about the long ball or the short ball, its about the right ball." Bob PaisleyComment
-
i hope they get a really random manager after reading this:
Comment
-
-
Neither am I.Originally posted by Chazza View Post
But I have heard the odd one on the radio tbf.
"Its not about the long ball or the short ball, its about the right ball." Bob PaisleyComment
-
i bet you some of the players will miss him
jose comes in a pisses of a few of them and we will get some stories about how they preferred rafa.i own everton fans on the internet....that's what i doComment
-
-
That City thread made my eyes bleed. It is astonishing frankly.Thanks very much for being ‘This Mornings’ Farmer’Comment
-
Benitez myth buster: Why Rafa's record proves he deserves one of Europe's top jobs
With the Spaniard set to oversee his fourth major European final, his record proves he is still one of the best managers around - even if he is not the right man for Chelsea
COMMENT
By Ewan Roberts
Even in his most recent match, five months after taking over the reigns at Stamford Bridge, Rafa Benitez was sbooed by the Chelsea faithful. The jeers, heckles and signs ('we're just not that in ter im') still exist, the support for the manager remains non-existent and when he does leave at the end of the season, Blues supporters will not blink an eye. But clubs across Europe should.
Benitez has done a remarkable job in west London, whether Chelsea claim the Europa League title on Wednesday night or not. The side he has guided to Amsterdam, plus two domestic cup semi-finals and probably third place in the league, finished last season in sixth position. When he took over from Roberto Di Matteo, the club had fewer points than West Brom.
The Spanish boss has kept Chelsea competitive in the league – they could still have caught Manchester City up until the FA Cup finalists beat Reading in their penultimate game of the season – despite the exit of talismanic spearhead Didier Drogba, and a host of useful squad players. He has led a charge in Europe, got the best out of Juan Mata and injected more youth into the side without disrupting the balance of the squad or angering the Blues' ageing core.
When Di Matteo was sacked, the decision was lambasted. Yet Benitez has averaged more points and more goals than the Italian did in his 23 league games in charge (collecting 1.96 points compared to the Italian's 1.82). When you also consider that Chelsea's opening four games of this season were against the league's worst teams, Wigan, Reading, Newcastle and QPR – three of whom are now relegated – the strong early season form under Di Matteo loses rather a lot of its gloss.
Losses against Manchester United and West Brom, frustrating draws against Swansea and Liverpool, and faltering Champions League form sealed Di Matteo's fate. Benitez duly oversaw a 6-1 win over Nordsjaelland, fulfilling his end of the bargain (and equalling the biggest win Di Matteo ever recorded) but the Blues crashed out of the competition, the first reigning champions to exit the new competition at the group stage – though that indignity was brewed under Di Matteo's watch, not Benitez's.
He made amens for that in the Europa League, harnessing his immense tactical nous to guide Chelsea past a sticky set of ties despite a small squad ("There aren't many players here," he lamented in December). In every draw the Blues were given a banana skin, lengthy trips across the globe to Prague, Bucharest and Moscow, before taking on Swiss champions – and conquerors of Tottenham – Basel in the semi-finals.
But Benitez managed his squad admirably, despite its threadbare status being maintained, rather than addressed, in January. Demba Ba was brought in for £7 million and Daniel Sturridge joined Liverpool for £12m – a net profit of £5m. Benitez, as any potential suitors should note, does not need an enormous budget in order to garner results.
Dissenters will point to the £78 million net spend at Liverpool, but as soon as the sale of Fernando Torres is factored in – a player recruited under Benitez and who was sold for £50m just six months after the former Valencia boss had left Anfield – then that figure drops to just £4.6m net spend per season he was at the club. Liverpool won the FA Cup, the Champions League and finished runners-up in the Premier League with a points haul (86) that would win the title most years, all on a budget that is normally associated with the blue half of Merseyside.
The rotation policy so often mocked while at Liverpool has been intrinsic to Chelsea's ability to compete on so many fronts. The club will have played an astonishing 69 games by the time the curtain falls on the season, yet the players have been managed brilliantly – and this is with a squad of barely 22 men, and that is including Paulo Ferreira and Yossi Benayoun. Of the Three Amigos, Eden Hazard has completed 90 minutes most often, yet he has only done so 26 times in all competitions, while Branislav Ivanovic is the most used outfield player, but has only played a full match in three-quarters of Chelsea's games.
Tactically he has tweaked Di Matteo's 4-2-3-1, moving Mata into the middle of the three offensive players behind a lone striker. Under the Italian, Hazard and, predominantly, Oscar were deployed in the hole, with Mata on the left wing. The move infield under Benitez has seen the 25-year-old flourish, seeing more of the ball, controlling and dictating Chelsea's style and tempo. At home to Manchester United, Mata (on the left wing) had fewer passes, key passes and touches than he would in the return match at Old Trafford, where he lined up in a central position.
Chelsea have been incredibly well drilled in all phases of play: compact, hard to break down and solid when not in possession of the ball. Expansive, fluid and attacking when they do.
For all the outcry over Benitez's appointment, all the expectation of disharmony, his players have never been anything other than supportive for their much-maligned manager, and that is in spite of his transition away from the old core installed under Jose Mourinho. In fact, that transition has been so seamless you may barely have noticed it, especially in contrast to how things transpired under Andre Villas-Boas.
Frank Lampard may have broken Bobby Tambling's goal scoring record, and lead the club's scoring charts, but he was almost phased out before signing a new contract at the 11th hour. Equally, John Terry has barely featured, making just 11 league starts. These stalwarts remain useful, but they are no longer crutches. Chelsea no longer need to lean on them. In their place, youth has risen, most notably David Luiz.
The Brazilian defender-cum-midfielder credits the “fantastic” Benitez with his transformation. "He changed my game and helped a lot," said Luiz. "He gives me confidence to try some things, like shots and passes to help the team. He knows my football, so I like that. That is why I have improved."
Benitez is, inescapably, a bad fit for Chelsea, but he has used his time in west London well, restoring the reputation that was damaged at Inter. As the manager merry-go-round kicks in to full swing this summer, and as Benitez prepares for the fourth major European final of his career, clubs across Europe would be wise to take another look at the Spaniard's CV.Thanks very much for being ‘This Mornings’ Farmer’Comment
-
Shocking piece that, as bad as the "he's useless" type ones from pundits and journos on the opposite side.Comment
-
-
That's pretty ridiculous.Dissenters will point to the £78 million net spend at Liverpool, but as soon as the sale of Fernando Torres is factored in – a player recruited under Benitez and who was sold for £50m just six months after the former Valencia boss had left Anfield – then that figure drops to just £4.6m net spend per seasonTrey Nyoni: countdown to stardom-2 years1year0.5 yearsComment
-
Yep. Most of it is really, the incorrect facts like West Brom having more points than Chelsea when he got there which isnt true, they went above Chelsea on Rafa's first weekend there. I dont think I've ever seen Chelsea praised for losing semi finals before and praising Rafa for getting to the semi finals of the league cup especially seems a bit generous considering he got there when they had a quarter final v Leeds!Originally posted by Kenneth View Post
Making out Di Matteo's early season good form was down to beating **** seems a bit harsh aswell especially when he goes on to hail Rafa's win over that Danish side and the Europa League run. Di Matteo did win at Arsenal and Spurs in that run afterall.
"Incredibly well drilled and hard to break down"? Hmm in some games maybe, in others they've been getting 2s and 3s put past them by the likes of Southampton, Newcastle, Brentford, Rubin Kazan and Reading. I'd say they look a bit better in that regard but not exactly rock solid, they concede in most games.
Other over the top guff like "threadbare squad" completes the article and I'm assuming he's never taken a London to Prague flight or wasn't that good at geography if that counts as a "lengthy trip across the globe".
Overall I think he's done ok there, they're short on quality in some areas not "threadbare" and he's hardly had a week to concentrate on training and tactical work so that doesnt help but certainly dont think he's done "remarkable". They were 3rd when he took over, had the 3rd best squad and they're now 3rd and will do what they usually do tonight and win a cup. I'd say thats about par for them, not underachieving, not overachieving and definitely not remarkable.Comment
-
That's fair enough.Originally posted by Chris View Post
I haven't paid enough attention to Chelsea to form an opinion on them.Oh I don't know.Comment
-
Very well said.Originally posted by Chris View Post
I love Rafa, I want him to do well but I'm not going to look at his achievements through red tinted specs as this could have consequences for our own club in the future. They're not as good a side as they were start of the season imo and now have a bit of a soft backbone.
Rafa hasn't been able to get a side to play like we did from 2005-2009. That's the reality of it. Why? i don't know but everything points to the departure of Pako.Comment
I think David Luis will be the most out spoken
Comment