Chelsea’s interim manager, Rafa Benitez, has admitted that he cannot force the fans to love him.
The Spaniard has been the target of abuse, chants and letters, and he feels he is unpopular at Stamford Bridge, because he succeeded when he was in charge of Liverpool against the Blues.
“I cannot change the perception people have of me because I was successful at Liverpool against Chelsea,” Benitez told The Mirror.
“I thought when I came that if I carried on winning games here, it would get easier. But if you cannot win all the time, I understand that – sometimes the fans get a little bit frustrated. And I am frustrated, too.
“But at any club, whatever its circumstances, there are always going to be people who do not agree with you. In football in England, you have 60 million managers. In Spain, there are 40 million managers. Everyone has an opinion.”
Chelsea currently sit in third position in the League, 16 points behind an in-form Manchester United team and their only chance of silverware, is in the Europa League and FA Cup. Benitez, however, insists that qualifying for next season’s Champions League, is a bigger priority.
“The reality is that we are a team in transition. The priority is to finish in the top four or top three. After that, we have two more trophies that we can try with the FA Cup and the Europa League,” he explained.
Having said so, he stated clearly, that he expects his team to do well in the Europa League this season.
“In terms of flights and games it’s like the Champions League, in terms of mentality, the first thought is “hmm, it’s different.
“But if you see the teams that are in the Europa League, you will see it could be quite difficult.
“The day before we will fly, we will be there, they will realise it’s Europe and they can concentrate 100%. I’m expecting that they will be focused.
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