Chelsea back in the groove says Benitez
Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez claims his side's confidence
couldn't be any higher as they turn their attention to the Club World
Cup in Japan this week.
The Blues crashed out of the Champions League on Wednesday and
travelled to Sunderland's Stadium of Light on Saturday on the back of
their worst domestic run for 18 years.
However, a comprehensive 3-1 win over the Black Cats made it nine
goals in the space of four days after Wednesday's 6-1 rout of Danish
side Nordsjaelland and provided a timely morale boost ahead of the trip
to Yokohama.
Chelsea take on either South Korean side Ulsan Hyundai or Mexican
outfit Monterrey in their opening Club World Cup fixture on Thursday and
Benitez believes it could be a successful trip given his side's upbeat
mood. “I was pleased with the way we played in the Champions League
game, with passion and desire right to the end, and this was another
good performance,” Benitez said. “If you are going to a tournament like
this it is important to show what you can do on the pitch and play well.
“It's important to have an opportunity to win any trophy, but especially
a trophy like this one.
“I have managed a team (Inter Milan) to victory in the competition
before and that was a great experience for me, and hopefully this will
be a great experience for the players.
“We are concerned because we know the schedule will be difficult, but
we are trying to organise everything properly. “It might not be ideal
because we have to go and then play a game in three days time, but we
will try to do our best.” Saturday's victory over Sunderland came
courtesy of a first-half double from Fernando Torres, who scored with a
first-time volley and a penalty, and a second-half strike from Juan
Mata.
AFP |