Having been announced as Roberto Di Matteo’s successor just days before, it was possible to understand Chelsea fan’s apprehensiveness to see Rafael Benitez take his place in the pre-match press conference following his appointment.
The Spaniard has a long-standing rivalry with the West London outfit from his days as Liverpool manager, where the two sides regularly came toe-to-toe over the duration of the season during Jose Mourinho’s time at Stamford Bridge.
Hearing the reaction he received after appearing from the Chelsea tunnel, it was a surprise to say the least. A chorus of boos emanated around Stamford Bridge, with the Blues clearly unhappy with Roman Abramovich’s decision to bring in Benitez as ‘interim first-team manager’.
On top of that, sections of the crowd persisted with ‘Rafa Out’ signs throughout the 90 minute 0-0 bore-draw with Chelsea – an encounter dubbed El Cashico in the past. For a manager to be roundly condemned, despite having yet to take charge of the team for an encounter, he must’ve really done his absolute most to have roundly angered every Blues fan.
Of course, this came prior to kick-off between the two teams without the portly Spaniard being given the chance to really showcase his managerial capabilities following his two year absence from the game.
What’s important now is for Benitez to ignore the boo boys. Yes, he may not have been the popular choice amongst fans, but at least give him the chance to work his magic. The best thing for the former Liverpool and Inter boss to do is batter away the negativity from the supporters and focus on picking up maximum points during his stint at Stamford Bridge.
If the wins slowly stack racking up, it won’t be long before the boo boys are drowned out by those prepared to sign his name from the stands.
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