Rafa Gets The Last Laugh

Behind every great team lies a great manager, a tactician, a leader and in some cases you could even use the word genius. It is a position where even the best have a limited control over success or failure yet they are usually the first to get the blame when things go wrong.   

Of course the outcome of a football match is down to the players, however at times the strategic duel on the touchline has had a tendency to almost overshadow the action on the pitch.

A satisfying result for Benitez but he nearly stole the victory   

The past decade has provided some of the greatest managers the game has ever seen. But by carrying such big egos there’s no getting away from some of the unfriendly managerial rivalries that follow, after twenty seven years at the heart of Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson has no doubt experienced his fair share.

Still scarred from a cruel Champions League exit at the hands of Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid, Ferguson was forced to turn his attention to the FA Cup, now United’s major interest with the league practically sewn up. Although Ferguson’s respect for the so called “special one “is mutual his relationship with current Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez is a different story.   

In the stand out tie of the of the FA cup quarter final the two would once again do battle, and it was clear that it was personal. Not even liked by his teams own fans Benitez had everything to prove, but United are ruthless, two up inside eleven minutes thanks two defensive howlers from Chelsea, as John Terry sat helplessly on the Blues bench unselected by Benitez.

However United weren’t at their vintage best and despite retaining their two goal advantage at half time they had shown some unusual complacency in possession. The stick received by Benitez has been endless since he joined the London club and his decision to replace Frank Lampard with John Obi Mikel after the break brought more negative chants from the travelling Chelsea fans.

But the fact is the Spaniard got it right. His second substitution saw the introduction of Eden Hazard who replaced Victor Moses and the Blues were an ominous threat going forward. With half an hour to go, Hazard pulled one back with a stunning goal from the edge of the area giving the tie a different feel.

Mikel’s introduction gave cover to Chelsea’s defense allowing key players like Mata, Oscar and Ramires to bomb forward, leading to a deserved equaliser neatly finished by Brazilian Ramires.

From then on there was only going to be one winner, as Ferguson had goal keeper David De Gea to thank denying Mata the winner in injury time, as United hung on. After an almost humiliating first half it was Benitez who had the last laugh but couldn’t quite land the knockout punch on his bitter rival. The replay at Stanford Bridge is currently at an undecided date but is bound to be another eventful affair.