Chelsea have this evening confirmed the appointment of Rafa Benitez as “interim first-team manager until the end of the season.”
The move follows today’s shock announcement that the club had parted company with Roberto Di Matteo following last night’s 3-0 defeat in Turin.
Benitez was immediately in the frame for the role and it comes as no surprise that he has taken up the position, although the speed of the appointment is perhaps unexpected.
For Fantasy managers this could be a double-edged sword. Benitez is known to favour a 4-2-3-1 system and in that respect very little may change in Chelsea’s make-up in terms of their starting XI. The role played by Juan Mata will immediately be of interest, while Fernando Torres will be expected to remain a key figure under Benitez having worked with him at Liverpool, of course.
While all that could be welcomed, the potential return of “Rafatation” will not. Benitez is renowned for rotating his squad to keep players fresh and, in this respect, we have to hope that he fails in rescuing Chelsea’s fading hopes of Champions League progress in the final round of matches.
