You have to feel sorry for Rafael Benitez, going to work at a place where 35,000 fans are regularly calling for you to be sacked. The Spaniard was brought in to succeed Roberto Di Matteo at Chelsea back in November but after taking just 25 points from 15 Premier League games, looks set to feel the full force of Roman Abramovich’s axe.
Following the FA Cup win over Middlesbrough on Wednesday night, the Spaniard launched into, not necessarily a rant, but rather a run through of points that made absolute sense, with Twitter in agreement of the Blues boss in the aftermath.
Benitez ended with “I’ll be gone at the end of the season”, but many are of the opinion he’ll have been shown the exit door before the upcoming encounter with West Bromwich Albion – the curse of the Baggies that claimed both Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Di Matteo.
To be fair, the 52-year-old has been continuously undermined in his role as Chelsea boss from the day he was appointed with the club insistent on calling him ‘Interim Manager’ rather than just manager, something he picked up on last night.
However, while he was never going to last beyond May, Wednesday nights’ post-match press conference was surely the final nail in the coffin, draped in handmade ‘Rafa Out’ banners and lowered into the ground to the tune of ‘Boo!’.