Benitez undeterred by Chelsea fan chants

Chelsea Manager Rafael Benitez during a Press Conference at Chelsea FC Training Ground, Stoke D'Abernon. Picture: Chris Ison/PA Wire

Friday, January 11, 2013
3:54 PM

Rafael Benitez insists he has been unaffected by the Chelsea boo-boys but understands that emotions are bound to run high when the club lose.

The interim manager was subject to a prolonged barracking in midweek as the Blues lost 2-0 at home to Swansea in the Capital One Cup semi-final first leg.

The Spaniard left fans’ favourite Frank Lampard and new signing Demba Ba on the bench despite the Senegal striker netting twice on his debut against Southampton last weekend.

Chelsea Supporters Group chair Trizia Fiorellino today warned that the rough ride could continue, saying the atmosphere could turn “nasty” if they go a goal down or continue to lose.

Today, in his pre-match briefing ahead of tomorrow’s Premier League clash at Stoke, when quizzed on the reception he received throughout the Swansea game, he said: “I went straight into the dressing room [afterwards]. I shook hands with Michael Laudrup and after that I was thinking about the injuries. I’m enjoying it.”

He added: “When the team is doing well, it’s an easier relationship.

“QPR was a tough game for us as everyone was expecting us to win. We lost that game. We deserved to win.

“The other day, because it was the semi-final, you can understand it’s more emotional than others.”

He added: “I think if you analyse, we’ve been here seven weeks.

“The team are scoring more goals and conceding less goals. We’re playing nice football - eight [goals] against Villa and five against Southampton. The team was playing very good football.

“If you see the players, they are happy. If you see the staff, they are doing a great job. In a top side you expect to win every game, but you can’t. We have to win together. We have to win a little bit more.

“Until QPR, we were winning a lot of games. We showed character against Southampton and scored five goals away. The team is doing well in a lot of games. We can win those games. We can be patient and carry on doing those things. Everyone here is pushing. We believe that we can carry on improving.”