Benitez looking for a quick fix

Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez believes victory over Manchester United in today’s FA Cup quarter-final replay will re-energise his tired squad after a deflating defeat by Southampton on Saturday.

The failure against a Southampton side that has been battling relegation was the start of a hectic period for the west London club with six games squeezed into 16 days.

Finishing in the top-four to ensure Champions League football remains the primary focus for the interim manager, but an FA Cup trophy would be a rare highlight in what has been a brief and tumultuous tenure for the Spaniard.

“It will be a boost for everyone obviously, but I still think we can manage if everything is going well,” Benitez said.

“You have to make decisions and if you win everyone will be happier and have more belief for the next games. Monday is a big game against a very good side but we showed in the last game at Old Trafford we could do it.

“We play a lot of good games and score a lot of goals we play nice football but still we have to be more consistent. I think we are stronger than a lot of teams, you could see that in the last weeks when we played some very good games and won some of them. I still think we play very good football and we can compete with anyone.

“United are top of the table but I thought we were much better than them in the first game. We can compete but when you play two games in three days, for months, it isn’t easy so I think we are doing well in the situation we are in.

“United have good players. Chelsea have a lot of good players but to play two games a week for four months is not easy. Playing at the level we played at last week or two weeks ago we could beat anyone. It is just a question of having the link between players and everybody focussed. Against Southampton we made mistakes in the final-third and some of our decisions were poor.”

Chelsea were vanquished by a fluid and attacking Southampton side that only had room for €14m forward Gaston Ramirez on the bench.

When Manchester United visit today they will boast a more impressive attacking talent – a fact not lost on Benitez who admits to struggling without more goal scorers.

“The reason United are top of the table is they have a very strong squad,” he said.

“Just analyse the four strikers they have and we only have two. They have four all at a very good level and we only have two at that level. It was a problem when he had just Torres but no we have Demba Ba so that is two attacking options. We have offensive players of quality. I’m not worried about what they are doing. I am just concentrating on what we can do and how we can improve and win games.”