Rafa Benitez under pressure at Chelsea

Rafa Benitez’s Chelsea side lost 3-1 to West Ham yesterday, after leading at half-time, and Rafa admitted that he thought the job in hand would have been simpler.

Chelsea are without a win in seven Barclays Premier League games while Benitez has collected just two points from his first three fixtures.

Chelsea fans again abused their new interim manager, displaying banners in support of sacked boss Roberto di Matteo and calling for Benitez to go.

But the Spaniard insisted he would remain unaffected by the ongoing hostility.

‘We know that we have to win games to change things around,’ said Benitez. ‘My concern is to improve the team to analyse what is wrong on the pitch. If we improve the team and start winning, it will be easy to turn things around.

‘We have to improve on the pitch and the fans will be happy. If we improve on the pitch it will be easier for everyone.’

Chelsea are currently suffering their worst League start in the Roman Abramovich era with 26 points from their first 15 games.

Asked if the job was a tougher challenge than expected, Benitez said: ‘It could be . . . in terms of this being a top side and it being the middle of the season and obviously the results were not the best.’

Chelsea dominated the first half, carrying a 1-0 win into half-time, and Rafa was baffled by the shift of balance in the second 45 minutes.

‘It’s difficult to explain when you are so good in the first half,’ he added. ‘How can you not manage in the second half?

‘Everyone has seen in the first half that we could have scored two or three goals and finished the game. But we didn’t do it. We were giving the ball away easily, not winning first balls, seconds balls, not comfortable in possession.

‘We had been a bit better in defence, with two clean sheets, and today we were a lot better in attack. Now we have this situation in defence where we have to improve again.’

He does not expect the fans’ backlash to affect his players.
‘I hope that would not be the situation,’ he added. ‘Why? Because we have experienced players, so they know that they have to manage and cope.’

Asked if the negativity and bad results might even end his seven-month interim appointment, Benitez insisted: ‘Again I would say it depends on things that we can do on the pitch. We improve on the pitch it will be easier for everyone.’

Roman Abramovich needs to act fast. Chelsea’s season is falling apart and needs a real manager, not this ‘fat spanish waiter’. Benitez was the first manger under Roman not to win in his first 2 games, he has gone 3 so far and I can’t see any improvement. Get Rafa out.