It appears as though Rafa Benitez still has the belief in his popularity to come out and say that he feels appreciated by the Blues’ fans every time he has a chance meeting with any of them as Metro.co.uk reported recently. This is surprising amidst rumors saying Mourinho is closer to Stamford Bridge than ever with groups of Chelsea fans continuing to express their dissatisfaction with the current managerial team. In recent comments, the 52 year old Spaniard insisted that his actions are highly appreciated by people all over London and that his collaboration with Chelsea is a very productive one. Despite the obvious critiques that came from the stands several times this season and despite some indirect disputes between Benitez and groups of fans, he is convinced he has done a great job overall.
In a recent interview given to a Spanish publication Benitez said that fans are very good to him in the street and that most of them encourage him not to listen to insults and other banter coming from the crowd during matches. He did admit, though, that he is aware he will never be able to win over those people who hold a grudge because of his time spent with Liverpool. He also said that he cannot change what he said in the past about Chelsea, but he can act now and let results speak for themselves.
Benitez’s declarations came after some good performances by the Blues. They made it through to the semi-final of the FA Cup, they are favorites in the match against Zenit and they are third in the Premier League standings. He also mentioned the fact that even if the team may not look as good as some think it should, they are actually doing an amazing job and that the Blues have had their most demanding season yet with matches played every 2 or three days apart.
The Spaniard is still due to leave at the end of the season and unless he wins both cups and comes second in the Premier League, you would have to think only then would he have even a slim chance of being offered the job again. Even though his time in charge has been trying at the best of times it is still doing a job he covets with a top class team so I am sure Rafa Benitez would secretly like to stay on at Stamford Bridge he just hopes his results will merit the job being offered to him again.