Blues can give up on title dreams
“Why can’t we?” the interim boss replied defiantly after his side had spluttered to the second goalless draw of his Stamford Bridge reign against Fulham on Wednesday night.
Where should we start?
Perhaps with the fact that Chelsea have won just twice in 10 matches and confidence is on the floor after defeat at Juventus left them on the verge of a Champions League exit.
Or maybe with the fact Fernando Torres, their only true striker, has not scored in two months and is unlikely ever to resurrect the form of his early Liverpool days under Benitez.
Why? Because he has lost his main weapons, his pace and his sharpness. Benitez can fiddle with formations and tactics but he cannot return the gifts which once guaranteed goals.
Torres has gone the way of Michael Owen, another striker whose legend was forged on his turn of foot and whose form fell off a cliff the moment it was gone. All that remains is for Chelsea boss Roman Abramovich to recognise that fact, write off £50 million and move on.
Yet the main threat to Chelsea is the malaise and disenchantment which appears to be taking hold at Stamford Bridge following the sacking of Roberto di Matteo.
“We want our Chelsea back,” the fans chanted on Wednesday.
It was not clear what they had in mind. Do they want the Chelsea who went 50 years without winning the league from 1955 to 2005? Hardly.
Do they want the Chelsea of Ken Bates which appeared to have as much to do with property developing as football? No chance.
Do they want the procrastinating Chelsea of Claudio Ranieri, the muddled Chelsea of Luiz Felipe Scolari or the banal Chelsea of Avram Grant? Refer to the last answer.
Do they want the Chelsea of Jose Mourinho which brought colour and charisma to the manager’s office but also relentless angst as well as ruthless pragmatism on the field? Many, you suspect, would settle for that now.
The point, however, is that there is no Chelsea which ticks all the boxes.
The one and perhaps only thing Chelsea fans appear united on is that they would not do without Abramovich, the Russian billionaire who has brought 10 major trophies to Stamford Bridge in nine years.
They do not boo Abramovich, even though he is also responsible for making the club a graveyard for experienced managers and a laughing stock when it comes to worthy footballing virtues of stability, loyalty and cohesion. So why boo Benitez, the choice of Abramovich trying to do his best in difficult circumstances?
Isn’t it time Chelsea fans saw past his history with Liverpool and a rivalry which was at its spikiest in the Mourinho years?
The truth is that neither Manchester United nor Manchester City are playing well right now and yet they lead the Premier League by seven points and six points respectively from Chelsea in third place. That lead could reach uncatchable proportions this weekend if United beat lowly Reading and Chelsea stumble again in a tricky trip to West Ham.
The difference between champions and the rest is that so often, they manage to win when they are not playing well by dredging their reserves of unity and determination.
It is a quality Chelsea have lost, hardly surprising with a gung-ho owner, a temporary manager, a changing system, a moribund striker and supporters unwilling to give the new man a chance.
That is why Benitez is wrong. Chelsea, in their present state, cannot win the title.
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