West Ham vs. Chelsea: Loss to Hammers Proves Blues Must Sack Rafa Now

I'm typically not one to call for someone to lose his job, but after watching Chelsea fail to get maximum points for the seventh consecutive Premier League game, it's clear that Rafael Benitez is simply doing more harm than good running the show for the Blues.

For as dominant as Chelsea looked in the first half when they took a 1-0 lead and outplayed the Hammers in every facet of the game, the Blues looked like they had never stepped foot on a pitch in the second half.

West Ham did what they wanted while Rafa stood on the sidelines befuddled and making questionable substitutions when the Hammers scored the equalizer.

Replacing Victor Moses, who had arguably been the Blues' best player all day, and leaving Fernando Torres in the match?

I don't get it.

Now it's true that Chelsea needs more quality strikers, a situation that figures to be rectified once the January transfer window opens, and the Blues still sit third in the table.

It's also true that they are playing without John Terry and Frank Lampard, two of their most experienced players and leaders of the club.

But as the BBC Sport notes via their official Twitter account, Rafa has accomplished a feat last achieved more than a decade ago:

"

Rafael Benitez becomes first #cfc manager to fail to win any of their first three PL matches since Gianluca Vialli in 1998. #bbcfootball

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 1, 2012"

Exactly what has Rafa done better than the man he replaced, Roberto Di Matteo?

If anything, Chelsea has become more tentative, unwilling to take chances and get creative.

Who should replace Rafa, you ask?

Maybe Pep Guardiola is the answer, or perhaps a reunion with Jose Mourinho would do the trick.

One thing is for certain: Rafael Benitez is not the long-term solution for Chelsea, and the sooner that Roman Abramovich comes to grips with that and remedies the situation, the better for everyone involved.