Current Chelsea 'interim' manager Rafael Benitez Maudes took over the club following his predecessor Roberto di Matteo's dismissal in November. A combination of his Liverpool allegiance, di Matteo's 'club hero' status and the incessant cries for former Chelsea manager – Jose Mourinho – meant he was mercilessly given a hostile reception all throughout his time in the Chelsea dug-out. Now, after leading Chelsea through a long and exhausting season, were the Chelsea fans right in booing him? The Facts Rafa's record: P 47 W 27 D 10 L 10 Win % 57.446 Biggest Win: Chelsea 8-0 Aston Villa Heaviest Loss: West Ham United 3-1 Chelsea The Good Individually, he has made a good impact on the Chelsea squad. He improved Chelsea's defensive game and made Eden Hazard, defensively accountable as the season progressed. He has helped in the ascension of David Luiz into a well-rounded defender. He initiated Azpilicueta into the side who has since made the RB spot his own. Subsequently, he moved Ivanovic to Centre-Back where he has shined alongside Luiz. Also, he relegated Torres to a 2nd fiddle role in spite of the popular opinion that Rafa prefers Torres. He achieved the overall objective of a Top 4 finish inspite of a punishing schedule which saw Chelsea play a Premier League record 69 games in a season. To add to that, he also secured the Europa League trophy last night. He took Chelsea on a good run in the FA Cup, with impressive results against Manchester United in the Quarter Finals and he did all this with a thin squad lacking any sort of quality depth. The Bad Rafa's tactical rigidity is quite infuriating. His inability to change the team's shape according to the needs of the game puts the lie to his reputation of being a tactical master. His substitutions have been equally frustrating. Benayoun for Oscar with the score at 2-2 in a crunch Premier League vs Tottenham, was only the tip of the iceberg. He made a straight-swap at Right Back when Chelsea were chasing a goal in the Club World Cup final, a straight-swap at Centre-Back while in a similar position in the Carling Cup semi-final and has generally, waited too long to add fresh legs into the game. Consequently, Chelsea have picked up a bad habit of failing to close out games this season. Under Benitez, Chelsea failed to win SEVEN games when they were leading 5 away and 2 home (Southampton and Tottenham) His Home Record – P 20 W 13 D 5 L 2 – screams of mediocrity and although it did improve towards the end of the season, a 65% win-percentage at home is lesser than Mourinho's overall win % at Chelsea (67%) The Subdued The atmosphere at the club under Rafa, especially early in his reign, was poisoned and this brought out a subdued, muted side of Rafa. The very best managers try and work everything in their favour – even use the media to change public perceptions or highlight controversies to hide the players' poor performances, but Rafa Benitez was a mere puppet this season. Gone was the swagger and authority he had in his Liverpool days. Chelsea were involved in a number of high-profile incidents throughout the season – Hazard ballboygate, Aguero stamping Luiz, Suarez biting Ivanovic, Luiz-Rafael-smile- to name a few – and on none of the occasions did Benitez defend his players. The very same Benitez in 2005 said this, On Luis Garcia's "ghost goal" in the Champions League, 2005 (via ESPN): “After the game, Sheila(his secretary), who was sitting right in line, said to me that the ball had crossed the line. She is a very honest person and that was good enough for me. It was a goal” In Conclusion That Rafa Benitez is buried in his 8 years of anonymity since 2005. His managerial prowess was steadily declining at Liverpool after the initial Champions League win. The club dropped out of the Top 4 in 2010 just a year after finishing 2nd. His Inter Milan stint was an unmitigated disaster and he was jobless for 2 years before Chelsea came calling. His stock was plummeting before he came to South-West London. At Chelsea, he has been a figure of public sympathy (outside the radius of Chelsea fans) and this sympathy has grown to the point where his flaws are overlooked and his work is overrated. Expecting Chelsea fans to bow down to him and give him a lap of honour come Sunday is beyond logic. He has guided Chelsea into the Top 4 and won a trophy, not a prestigious one but a trophy nonetheless, so fair play to him for achieving the minimum expectation...but Rafa Benitez's time at Chelsea will forever be remembered as a 'dark' episode at the club. Remember though, at the end of every tunnel, there is light and here's hoping that this summer brings back the happy days at Chelsea
