Rafa doing Chelsea chances no harm

3Jan 2013

Premier League

Blues fan may never admit warming to their interim manager but, if the wins keep coming, they may have to get used to having Rafa around...

Chelsea go into tonight's west London derby at home to bottom club QPR only one point behind third-placed Tottenham with two games in hand over their rivals.

And after watching Rangers' hapless showing against Liverpool on Sunday, you'd have to assume that Chelsea - rated at 1.24 for victory - will leapfrog Spurs before the Premier League makes way for the FA Cup this weekend.

After a stuttering start to his tenure, Rafa Benitez has now overseen four straight Premier League wins, including a sensational 8-0 ransacking of Aston Villa just before Christmas, matching Chelsea's largest margin of victory in the top flight.

That remarkable result also rewrote the Premier League record books with no fewer than seven Chelsea players appearing on the scoresheet, illustrating just what an outstanding team performance Rafa had managed to conjure from his players.

Subsequent victories over Norwich and Everton in much tighter affairs have also displayed character, especially in coming from behind to triumph at Goodison Park, a clear indicator that the players, if not some fans, are responding well to Rafa's methods.

As was witnessed in his time at Liverpool, an integral part of the Spaniard's philosophy is to build results from a solid defence, so it's also no surprise to see the Blues letting in just one goal so far over the festive programme.

Significantly, an inability to marry Chelsea's attacking flair with a defensive resolve ultimately appeared to cost Rafa's predecessor Roberto Di Matteo his job. Another clean sheet tonight against QPR can be backed at 2.0.

Of course, Benitez's appointment was supposed to be temporary, however if Chelsea continue to prosper, then surely the prospect of a permanent deal cannot be ignored.

This is something being clearly reflected in the relevant Betfair market as Rafa's odds of taking charge for Chelsea's first game of the 2013/14 season are currently heavily odds-on.

Despite vitriolic abuse from the stands, Rafa has consistently suggested the fans will come round to him if results improve and his decision to reinstate Frank Lampard into the team since his return from injury should help make that unenviable task easier.

Lampard is a Chelsea legend but, under Di Matteo, the 34-year-old was gradually being phased out of his beloved club.

However, Benitez has decided to resurrect the midfielder's Stamford Bridge career, no doubt a hugely popular move in the stands, and after his match-winning brace against Everton, a mooted move away in January appears unlikely, though speculation that he will be released when his contract expires in the summer persist.

If reports are to be believed it also looks like Rafa will be making Newcastle striker Demba Ba his first Chelsea signing. The Spaniard has a long way to go before he is fully appreciated down the King's Road but there is no doubt that he's heading in the right direction.