Rafael Benitez: 5 Reasons Benitez Wouldn't Be Bad for Chelsea FC

Andre Villas Boas was sacked this week in a move that shocked absolutely nobody.

Roman Abramovich has the reputation of being a man who is impatient and demands immediate results, and almost everybody on the planet knows that football is way too unpredictable for that.

Players and managers need time to gel and understand what is expected of one another—sometimes that process is quick, sometimes it isn't.

While the bookies weigh the odds on who will be the next Chelsea manager, here are five reasons why Rafael Benitez wouldn't be bad for the club.

Just hear me out—that's all I ask.

He Knows the Premier League

Knowing the division can often be a sticking point for foreign managers coming into a new club.

Chelsea were the first club that Andre Villas Boas had managed in the English top flight, and the style of football is somewhat different to that of the Portuguese league where he made his name.

Rafael Benitez was manager of Liverpool for six years, and in that time he has built up a wealth of knowledge on players, managers, tactics, expectations and style of play.

That surely can only aid his chances of success.

He Would Get the Best out of Fernando Torres

Fernando Torres is a world-class striker, but in his current form he isn't worth £50, never mind £50 million.

Torres' decline in form was apparent the moment Benitez left Liverpool, and the Spanish striker often spoke of his admiration for his former coach.

Benitez knows how to play Torres in order to get the best out of him, and that could pay dividends for a club pushing for a title.

Torres has proven he can score more than 20 league goals a season, and Benitez is the manager who can get him to do it again.

European Experience

While Benitez only managed one title-challenging campaign with Liverpool, his European success was a different subject.

Two Champions League finals in three years—winning one of those famously in 2005—gave Liverpool fans renewed hope that the club was going in the right direction.

Roman Abramovich wants the Champions League desperately and knows that Benitez has masterminded his way to the final twice before.

That could sway the Russian into thinking Benitez is the right man for the job.

Tactical Nous

One thing Benitez does well is handle the tactical side of the game.

The Chelsea squad that he would inherit is significantly better on paper than the Liverpool squad he took to the 2005 and 2007 Champions League finals.

Tactical nous is how Benitez got his reputation, and that is where Chelsea are lacking at the moment.

Foreign Influence

Usually a manager seems to favour players from his home nation.

Arsene Wenger used to have a plethora of French players throughout his side, and Benitez favoured Spaniards at Anfield.

With Spain being current World and European Champions, now is not a bad time to employ a highly respected Spanish coach that may entice a few players down to London.

Afterthoughts

I am confident that 99 percent of Chelsea fans would favour the return of Jose Mourinho over Rafael Benitez, but Mourinho surely won't leave Spain until he has won La Liga.

That, of course, is likely to be at the end of this season unless Real Madrid hit a real slump in form.

Benitez could be ideal as an interim manager until that time, and at worst it gives Chelsea fans the opportunity to see Fernando Torres score some goals.

Benitez may fancy a temporary position based on performance in order to get his name back in the limelight after time off from the game.

After all, what do Chelsea have to lose this season?

Thanks for reading, and be sure to check me out on Twitter. Follow me @petercwebster, where I post all my B/R content.