After the weekend defeat to Southampton I seemed to be one of the very few fans who hadn’t chosen to jump on the ‘Rafa Out’ bandwagon once again and it’s got to a point in the season, where I just think calling for the mans head has become utterly ridiculous.
Firstly, Rafa has around 47 days left in the job – so if you’re calling for him to be sacked, who exactly have you in mind for the last 47 days of a very busy season? Bolo Zenden? No one in their right mind is going to leave their current club for the last month or so of the season, least of all the man on everyone’s minds – The Special One.
Jose still has a very big chance of claiming the Champions league with this Madrid side and there’s not a chance that he’d leave that to help a Chelsea side finish their struggle for a top 4 position, the change will be made at the end of the season – Rafa out and only Roman himself knows who in and that’s the end of that one.
Because of this the only thing Chelsea fans can do is get behind the team for this very busy run in they have towards the end of the season, as bizarre an appointment Benitez was there is simply no substance to what people are saying about him intentionally damaging Chelsea’s top four hopes in his hunt for a couple more trophies on his CV. The mans willingly stepped into an absolute minefield of a job to try to regain some respect in the managerial market and quite frankly nothing will make owners and presidents of big clubs stand up and take notice of him more than guiding a very inconsistent new look Chelsea side to a top four place.
Chelsea are currently occupying the fourth Champions League spot, an FA Cup semi final and the Europa League quarter finals and some of our best players, in particular Mr Hazard pictured below are really hitting top form and it leaves us very much on track for a top four place and potentially two trophies by the end of the season, looking back at the way we crashed out of the Champions League group stages after being humiliated by a far superior Juventus side you might begin to think that this could actually end up as a pretty good season for Chelsea – we were never going to go and win everything with the squad we have, in particular accounting for the new acquisitions who would have to adapt to their new surroundings and teammates – it was always going to be a season of transition, of change, yet Rafa could have this Chelsea squad on the brink of two respectable trophies and Champions league football next season, say what you like but that’s a decent season. (it’s potentially two more trophies than Arsenal have won in the last 7 years)
The reason that he’s been criticised this week is of course his squad selection against Southampton, but let’s take a serious look at this.
Rafa fielded a starting XI of: Cech; Azpilicueta – Ivanovic – Terry – Bertrand; Mikel – Lampard; Moses – Oscar – Marin; Torres
So let’s break this team down,
In Petr Cech we had a goalkeeper who’s undoubtedly one of the best in the world.
A defence consisting of Azpilicueta, JT, Ivanovic and Bertrand – Azpilicueta has been one of our best players this season, sound defensively and very dangerous going forward – John Terry is the clubs captain and still one of the best defenders in the Premier League despite what has seemingly been a dramatic dip in fitness this season – Ivanovic was definitely one of our best players last season and was included in several Premier League XI’s and Bertrand (definitely the weakest of the back four) should really be coming good, he’s 23 (6 years older than his opposite number on the day Luke Shaw who looked twice the player) and played in the Champions League final last year.
A defensive midfield of Frank Lampard and John Obi Mikel, both very experienced players with lots of winners medals to prove it.
Throw in a £40,000,000 attacking midfield of Victor Moses, Oscar and Marko Marin all of whom are new players this season and Fernando Torres leading the line and you have on paper a very strong side. Torres has 21 goals this season for Chelsea and Spain and none of those attacking midfielders would’ve been signed in the if it was not believed that they had the quality to perform in the Premier League.
The starting XI against Southampton cost Chelsea Football Club £140,500,000 in transfer fees, make your own judgements but I believe that 140 million pounds worth of football players should be beating a Southampton side who until very recently were really struggling to stay in the Premier League, on Saturday the players let the fans down, not the manager.
So as much as everyone can’t wait to see him leave at the end of the season, if you find yourself at a game between now and the end of the season – get behind the team and (despite Rafa’s advice) keep your little blue flags flying high! none of this singing Rafa songs nonsense, let the man do his job, which in all honesty he’s actually doing quite well.
I agree completely
Chelsea fans are acting like babies
seriously guys we need to support our team always … no matter what. Its really embarrassing for Chelsea that their fans are not supporting the team
Rafa has tried xo much..i just hope of a no.4 finish n 2 trophies groly this season…
But he still deserve to go!!!
Mias kai eime pio konta ston David Copperfield tha tou kano fax oles sas tis erotisis mpas kai di h pidarta mia aspri mera. Ti na po eiste monadikoi sas diavazo apo edo kathimerina kai parigorieme, telia.mou leipoun omos ta live sas.sas filo h roulara sas
ena disaresto neo gia toys fyilos tou ionikoy.pethane extes to vradi o agapimenos filos nikos vourvoulidis.h kideia tou tha ginei stis 2 to mesimeri sto 3 nektrotafio.ionike gera gia ton nikola to diplo…gera ionikaraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
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That’s what we’ve all been waiting for! Great posting!
Steaua has good chances to come soencd. It has an accessible group (FC Prague easy-easy), Sevilla played last year with them and would have played the year before that with it in the UEFA final if hadn’t lost to Middlesbrough, And Arsenal too confident, it’s going to fall like a ton of bricks.
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i think we do need to support him but he needs to get his formation right at this moment. We don’t need pratical on this field of play, we need good result. i
if he knows he is not here to boost his cv, Rafa should please field us a very strong chelsea winning first eleven. At this point in time, we don’t need trying and error, we need the maximum three point to secure our place in the champions league.
If you”admin” are very close to him, you should please help us tell him to tell him that we need the champions league spot that’s when all the fans of chelsea will get behind him and support him.
The match against southampton should have move us ahead but losing that game makes me feel Rafa only took the chelsea job to boost his CV. At this point in time we can’t afford to loss any point so if he wants us to give him all the support he should move the team to the winning ways.
“The top four is very important, but we want a trophy,” Ba said. “We’re looking very good in two competitions, the Europa League and the FA Cup. We’re going to do everything to win them both. When you retire, no one remembers that you finished in the top four. They remember you won a trophy.” ..these are the words of demba ba and you can cleary see that it is not rafa who wants to boost his CV but the players themselves who have prioritised the fa cup and the europa league ahead of a top four finish..and in a way they are right..it’s chelsea and a big club need trophies and not just top four..rafa is doing a good job and he has my support
Well done boss!
Thanks for all your comments! if there’s anything in particular you’d like to me to do my next article on leave it below and i’ll get right on it
It’s got to the stage where regardless of the team Rafa puts out, people say ‘Rafa Out.’ I’ve seen people criticise team that everyone would be pretty damn happy with had any other manager picked it. Totally agree that calling for his head at this stage is utterly moronic and that we need to look at the players with the same scrutiny that we do the manager.
What I will say is that we saw Chelsea (albeit a stronger Chelsea, slightly) play well and beat United on Monday and it appears that the players are found wanting more against the teams that we should be beating. Would you not agree that this is indicative of a lack of motivational qualities on Rafa’s part? After all isn’t the role of the manager not only to pick the team and the tactics, but to motivate too? Just playing devil’s advocate here.
Absolutely, if there’s one thing the team has lost under Rafa and arguably were beginning to lose under Robbie it was the motivation to win each and every game regardless of opposition and that’s been the main cause of the struggling league form e.g. we’ve beaten Arsenal twice this season but only took 1 point from two games against QPR?
It doesnt matter who the manager is… Our problem is our board and owner with the way they are running the club… so I/o trying to make things worse by booing our players and Coach, we should get behind the team and ensure a top four finish.. I honestly dont care about the trophies… the only problem I’ve had this season (irrespective of it being a transition season) is that none of our coaches tried a different formation. We know lamps doesnt work in the pivot.. mikel and Ramires do but not to the extent that we want.. the y not change the formation to suit our players? !! That has baffled me to no ends this season..
What formation would you suggest that accomodates the starting XI better?
I would say a diamond 4-3-3 with lamps and Mata in the middle. MATA can play further forward and Lamps can play a proper CM. Even a 4-1-4-1 would work.. there are so many permutations and combinations that could be tried.. but we keep playing 4-2-3-1.. and to top that we play lamps as a DM and then crib that he is not good enuf. . Mata had started the season on the right and was good.. but he became better when playing in d middle.. m a firm believer that players should play their natural positions.. so whichever formation you play, play the players respective to their roles.. so IF we do play a double pivot, I would put Mikel, Ram, Essien and Romeu ahead of Lamps.. and in CAM I will play Mata or Lamps..
talk about the best players Chelsea could buy
and the ones we could get back from loan
and players with the most potential
and players we need to sell