Chelsea must be regretting replacing Roberto Di Matteo with Rafa Benitez

With 13 games to go in the Premier League season, Chelsea’s campaign hangs in the balance. The standout event of 2012-13 is, and surely will be come the end of the season, the sacking of Roberto Di Matteo. With the unpopular Rafa Benitez brought in on a temporary deal until the end of the season and the consequent mediocre form that has followed, the powers that be at Stamford Bridge must now be regretting the decision.

Di Matteo’s heroics of turning the club’s fortunes round last season to win the FA Cup and Champions League are well-documented. The Italian coach then had to suffer the indignity of waiting around until Roman Abramovich approached Pep Guardiola and a handful of other European coaches to fill the role permanently before apprehensively conceding defeat and giving Di Matteo a full-time chance. Admittedly Chelsea’s form in Europe had not been blistering when Di Matteo was sacked, but surely his domestic form was good enough to keep him in a job.

Di Matteo had won seven of the club’s 12 Premier League games before being given the axe, drawing three and losing only twice. Compare this to Rafa Benitez’s record; 13 matches played, six won, four drawn and three lost. This gives Di Matteo an average of 2.0 points per game; Benitez is down at 1.69 points per game.

The Chelsea fans have made their distaste for the former Liverpool boss known, and Abramovich must now regret the hasty and irrational decision to bring the Spaniard to West London. Although elimination from the Champions League was largely Di Matteo’s doing, Benitez has managed to fluff a chance to win the Club World Cup, been eliminated from the League Cup and is lucky to still be in the FA Cup after a close scare against Brentford.

Chelsea are currently 16 points behind top side Manchester United, and out of the title race. The best Benitez can hope for is to salvage third, or at a push second, and this surely will not be good enough to satisfy the club’s Russian owner.

It is stated in the press that Abramovich is an avid follower of the game, however the decision to sack Di Matteo was an impulsive and petulant move made by someone who does not fully understand the intricacies of the sport. He, unfortunately along with the Stamford Bridge faithful, is now being punished as Chelsea suffer a mediocre season at best.