Chelsea’s controversial sacking of Roberto Di Matteo didn’t go down well with many football pundits, fans or fellow managers.
Alan Pardew, Arsene Wenger and Brendan Rodgers were among those who expressed their sympathy for the Italian and rightly so.
While many still struggle to fathom why Roman Abramovich has fired another boss, a familiar face is returning to the Premier League dugout. Rafa Benitez will be back in the managerial hotseat as the Spaniard has signed a short-term contract as interim manager.
What a test to begin with for Benitez too, as champions Manchester City travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday for the pick of this weekend’s Premier League fixtures.
A proven winner
There is no doubt that Benitez’s track record is excellent. His Valencia side at the beginning of the millennium were among the best in Europe.
He inspired the likes of Pablo Aimar, Ruben Baraja, Francesco Rufete and Roberto Ayala to work superbly well as a team unit and success came in abundance.
Benitez (pictured) won two La Liga titles and the UEFA Cup in 2004 before moving to England with Liverpool.
Although he struggled with injuries in his first season, Benitez somehow managed to inspire the Reds to that famous Champions League triumph in Istanbul in his first season at Anfield.
He got the best out of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, allowing them to lead the players.
He signed Xabi Alonso and Luis Garcia, who gave the Kop supporters plenty of great memories.
Benitez also managed to improve players such as Steve Finnan and Igor Biscan and reignite the form of John Arne Riise.
Under his guidance, Liverpool also won the FA Cup, the European Super Cup and the Community Shield and in 2009, came so close to the Premier League title.
Even in his difficult six month spell with Inter Milan in 2010, he still won the Italian Super Cup and the FIFA World Club Championship in Japan before his dismissal from the San Siro.
So largely, success should be guaranteed with Benitez at the helm.
Playing style might be changed
Chelsea supporters will have enjoyed the flowing attacking football this season, with Di Matteo allowing the creative influence of Juan Mata, Oscar and Eden Hazard to shine.
I’m afraid they might have seen the best of that this season, as Benitez is unlikely to play such an expansive game.
He is one of the managers who like to start building from the back, then work towards the attackers.
It is a style that sometimes frustrated Liverpool supporters, especially as there were too many times where teams weren’t finished off and then scored on the counter attack.
So there might be a change of playing style but it could provide effective results and the Blues do need to tighten up the backline.
When Benitez was on Merseyside, he did turn Anfield into a fortress, especially on European nights and in the league.
Don’t expect Chelsea to be beaten many times on home turf but his style of play sometimes led to weary and shambolic away performances with both Liverpool and also at Inter.
It is likely that Benitez will sacrifice one out of the creative midfielders on a regular basis to add a more defensive minded player.
The fans at Stamford Bridge will not like this one bit but they shouldn’t complain if a slightly more negative approach earns more consistent results.
Dodgy signings
The Spaniard’s record with signings is questionable at best.
He might have brought Alonso and Fernando Torres to Anfield and also made useful acquisitions in the form of Daniel Agger, Garcia, Peter Crouch and Momo Sissoko.
However you could almost count the amount of dodgy signings he made on two hands in his six-year tenure on Stanley Park.
The likes of Josemi, Antonio Nunez, Jan Kromkamp, Bolo Zenden and Alberto Aquilani are quickly forgotten by most LFC supporters.
In fact, he bought Aquilani as a replacement for Alonso, wasting £20m on a player who was still recovering from a broken ankle.
The January transfer window is approaching and Chelsea will be linked with the usual names.
Benitez will look to strengthen and he has money to do it too. They need a decent backup goalkeeper to Petr Cech, a central defender and at least two strikers.
While the likes of Falcao, Edinson Cavani and Fernando Llorente have been mentioned in the gossip columns, don’t be too surprised if this masterful tactician brings in someone almost completely unheard.
January could be crucial for Benitez especially if he wants to prove to the owner that he is the man on a longer-term basis.
If he does not improve morale and brings in big signings, I’m sure a certain Mr Guardiola will be available come next summer.
Time moves on
The last game Benitez managed in the Premier League was a forgettable 0-0 draw between Hull City and Liverpool in May 2010.
After an absence from full-time management for two years and from England for nearly 30 months, that is a long sabbatical and time definitely moves on.
Playing styles have changed and so too have preferred formations.
The game has got quicker and more unpredictable in the Premier League. As indicated last weekend, Norwich beat Manchester United because they were the better team on the day.
This was something that wasn’t happening regularly in his Liverpool tenure, when you could guess the top four every season with your eyes shut.
Chelsea fans have already voiced their concerns about Benitez. Not many forget the bitter feud he had with Jose Mourinho when the Chelsea v Liverpool rivalry became the most hotly contested in English football for a few years.
He has said some vile things about the Blues before, but then again, I guess at the time he never thought he would get the opportunity to manage Chelsea.
Rafa Benitez deserves a chance, so does everybody in life and his track record is one of the best.
Liverpool has never quite moved on since he departed in June 2010, as indicated by the regular management changes since at Anfield.
Sunday’s showdown with City will be a good indicator to suggest whether this is a wise appointment or one that is going to backfire spectacularly on both the manager and the owner of Chelsea Football Club.
By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
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