Chelsea players make fun of Benitez

Rafael Benitez again dominates the back pages of the newspapers as his funeral match as Chelsea boss drones on.

The most interesting piece comes from the Daily Mail where Neil Ashton, who is known to have strong contacts within the club, lifts the lid on what went down during Chelsea’s training on Thursday – the morning after Rafa’s rant at Middlesbrough.

According to Ashton “Benitez acted as though nothing had happened” during a short training session with the players at Cobham.

“As the players waited in the changing room to go out for a short, sharp warm-down, they poked fun at Benitez while watching repeats of his meltdown on Sky News.”

Benitez's Temporary Chelsea Reign Drags On Towards its Doomed End

The Blues were fortunate to be in the hat for the fifth round draw, bailed out by an increasingly rare example of Fernando Torres coming up trumps when it mattered against Brentford, who had twice taken the lead against the more illustrious west London club at Griffin Park.

Whatever Roman Abramovich's opinion of Benitez, it is inconceivable that the Spaniard may continue beyond the current campaign and the Chelsea players know it. When Sir Alex Ferguson declared his intention to retire at the end of the 2001-02 season, Manchester United ended up finishing in third place in the Premier League - they have never finished lower in the new top flight. 

Rafael Benitez Appointed New Chelsea Coach

Chelsea Football Club can confirm Rafael Benitez has been appointed interim first-team manager until the end of the season. The owner and the Board believe that in Benitez we have a manager with significant experience at the highest level of football, who can come in and immediately help deliver our objectives.
The 52-year-old Spaniard is due to meet the players at the training ground in Cobham tomorrow.

Benitez Confirmed As New Chelsea Boss

The 52-year-old former Liverpool and Inter Milan manager takes charge of the Blues following the sacking of Roberto Di Matteo on Wednesday morning. Rafael Benitez has been confirmed as Chelsea’s new manager, after the club sacked Roberto Di Matteo following Tuesday’s 3-0 Champions League defeat to Juventus.