Rafa Benitez endured a less than hospitable welcome to
Stamford Bridge at the weekend and the decision by hierarchy to explicitly call
him out as the "interim first team coach" won't endure him to Chelsea
fans any time soon.
Trizia Fiorellino, chair of Chelsea Supporters' Group, has bizarrely
maintained that the crowd will continue to boo Benitez for the rest of the
season, obviously a psychic and a spokeswoman. After the 0-0 draw on Sunday, Fiorellino
added that: “The fans don't expect to pick and choose the managers but it was
pretty evident there were only two people that were not acceptable in this case
- Benitez and Avram Grant.”
It is ironic that Chelsea fans are unable to look past a
throwaway comment made in 2007 about fans waving flags, when their fans are quite
happy to boo one man for daring to report racial abuse and maintaining
unwavering support for the man found guilty of such an offence by the Football
Association.
To borrow a phrase from the 52-year-old: Rafa Benitez is a
better tactician than Roberto Di Matteo. Fact.
Chelsea fans who are unable to appreciate the two league
titles won by Valencia, an extraordinary Champions League win and a dramatic FA
Cup in 2006 are blinkered. Di Matteo transformed AVB’s squad into the side that
defended their way to glory in Munich and lucked out against a poor Liverpool
side at Wembley, but this is a man who was sacked by West Brom the previous
season.
Getting a team to park the bus, as Chelsea effectively did
in their run to the Champions League final, requires very little tactical nous.
Chelsea failed to even defend effectively; Napoli squandered several chances
before being eliminated and penalties were conceded to both Bayern and Barcelona
that would have swung the ties in their favour if converted.
Di Matteo being moved on after barely a handful of disappointing
results should be no surprise to Chelsea fans. That Abramovich did so after a
result that effectively eliminated the defending Champions League holders at the group stages,
was a more surprising decision. Surely it would have made sense to bring a new
man in when their progression was still in their hands?
Chelsea fans might protest at the predisposition to chop and
change managers, but Abramovich has bought success to the club, winning their
first league title for 40 years.
Those who criticize the Russian should take note of another
billionaire sugar daddy, who owns an equally elite football club, Silvio
Berlusconi at AC Milan.
Despite a one year jail sentence hanging over the retired
Italian Prime Minister, his involvement with Milan has increased over the last
two weeks, and accordingly results have picked up for the 2011 scudetto
winners.
His helicopter visits to Milanello, Milan's training ground, have increased in frequency following the Rossoneri’s alarming slump towards the bottom of Serie A and some
indifferent performances in Europe. An intervention last week included
recommending that top scorer and Italian sensation Stephan El Shaarawy have a haircut,
prior to a crucial game against Anderlecht, which was subsequently won 3-1 (El
Shaarawy scoring the opener).
Keen to improve the clubs domestic form the 76-year-old
media tycoon then paid a visit to the players last week with a number of
suggestions. Most noticeably was the claim that he wanted to replace Massimo
Allegri with Pep Guardiola, should the opportunity arise, and that this possibility
had even been mooted to the current manager.
"Guardiola? Who wouldn't want him? We have even spoken
about it with Allegri," Berlusconi said. "If [appointing Guardiola]
was possible we would look into it. Anyone would try to do so if they were
presented with such an opportunity … For now we have Allegri. [But] for the
future we are having a look."
Abramovich is clearly infatuated with the idea of ‘Barcelona
in blue shirts’ and Guardiola taking charge at Stamford Bridge, but even the
oil oligarch has stopped short of discussing the idea with a existing manager.
Berlusconi is keen to take a hands on approach at Milan and
was insistent that Kevin-Prince Boateng be deployed as a false nine against
Juventus at the weekend. Under such pressure Allegri was in no position to resist
and the Ghanaian was positioned at the front of a 4-3-3, interchanging with Robinho
during the scrappy 1-0 victory, some rebellion from the manager at least.
Further form includes advising Milan forward Alexandre Pato that unless he stops getting injured he'll be sold and also requesting that Allegri combed his hair before media duties.
Both Berlusconi and Abramovich have enjoyed morally dubious careers
outside of football. Abramovich started by smuggling contraband goods, before purchasing
Sibneft for $100 million. The Russian clearly bought the oil company at below
its market value, as the company was sold to Gazprom for $13 billion in 2005
and has dined out on this capital since.
Berlusconi has courted controversy for decade: whispers of
Mafia links refuse to stick, being sentenced to four years in jail for tax
fraud, monopolising press freedom in Italy and allegations of sex with a minor
in the ‘bunga bunga’ scandal.
Both men have lavished millions on their football clubs and
bought varying levels of success with them. Chelsea fans who are unhappy with
Roman Abramovich should take note of the crisis unfolding in the red half of
Milan. They might be better off with their Russian billionaire.
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