Chelsea eye Rafa Benitez to replace under-fire Di Mateo

The Blues have already approached former Liverpool chief Rafa Benitez as a possible temporary replacement. 

Boss Di Matteo will pay the price for dropping Fernando Torres for last night’s make-or-break clash against Juventus. 

And Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will step up his bid to land Barcelona legend Pep Guardiola as his team face a humiliating early exit from the Champions League. 

Di Matteo accepted full responsibility for his side’s crushing defeat in Turin. 

He said: “I’m responsible for the result and I’m responsible for the performance. 

“It’s a negative evening for us and if anyone has to take the blame, it’s me. 

“I selected a team I was convinced was the right team to win against Juventus, or get at least a draw. So the blame belongs to me.” 

Di Matteo knows the axe could now fall at any time despite leading the club to Champions League glory for the first time in their history just six months ago. 

He added: “I’ve not spoken to any of the executives tonight and I’m probably not the right person to ask about my future. 

“At the moment I am here and I think I will be here for the future. 

“Mathematically, it’s still possible to qualify for the next round. Who says that Juventus are not going to lose at Shakhtar in their final game? 

“We just have to make sure we win our last game and hope 10 points is enough to take us through. 

“We have to pick ourselves up for another massive game against Manchester City on Sunday but when the results are negative everything will be questioned. 

“At a big club like this, if you have a few bad results, you are going to be under pressure. It was the same from day one and that is how it is.” 

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Source: TheSun