Benitez unfazed by Chelsea pressure

Rafael Benitez insists he is unfazed by any mounting pressure as he looks to guide Chelsea to victory in the Club World Cup.

The Blues arrived in Yokohama yesterday having given their interim manager some breathing space with back-to-back victories following his nightmare start to life at Stamford Bridge.

They must now build on that improved form to avoid surrendering a fourth piece of silverware already this season, something that could hamper Benitez’s hopes of keeping his job long-term.

However, the former Liverpool boss was keen to put his position in perspective.

‘With the economic crisis around the world, everybody is under pressure,’ he said. ‘I don’t have a problem with pressure. The future is the next game and the one after that.’

That next game is Thursday’s semi-final against Concacaf champions Monterrey, followed by either the final or third-placed play-off against South American champions Corinthians or Egypt’s Al-Ahly on Sunday.

Chelsea’s hopes have been further boosted by the return to form of Fernando Torres but Benitez played down his own contribution to his fellow Spaniard’s four goals in two matches.

He said: ‘The manager can communicate with the players, yes, but when a player is in good form it’s largely because of his team-mates.’

The competition has been derided by some as an unwanted distraction but Blues keeper Petr Cech disagrees.

‘You only get the invitation to play here if you win the Champions League, and that’s not easy to achieve.

‘It took me eight years at Chelsea to get the invitation to play in this tournament,’ he said.

‘We hope we make the most of it and win. The last two results were very good for us, so we will try to carry on with this momentum and that can take us through.’

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Source: Metro