Benitez: My players are NOT fit or strong enough.

Some of us Chelsea fans are still shaking our heads and wondering where it all went wrong for Robbie Di Matteo at the club and why our form went from being excellent, to dire to say the least?

According to this report in The Telegraph, Rafa Benitez met with Roman Abramovich and Michael Emenalo on Thursday evening to report back his findings and to discuss what he feels the squad needs in January to improve.

Well it seems that Rafa Benitez has the answer after two games in charge as Chelsea Manager and six training sessions, the team is not fit enough and the squad isn't strong enough!

As a result, the players have been upping their protein intake and working hard in the Gym at Cobham and Fernando Torres has been working hard with extra sessions.

A different report I have read this morning states that Benitez has indicated to Abramovich that the club needs a new left back, defensive midfielder and another striker. Whether or not that happens in January is another thing but it's clear Benitez has got his message across.

After reading the article in The Telegraph, I couldn't help but wonder if he is right and if he is onto something which would explain our alarming drop in form over the past few weeks?

I guess the problem Chelsea have had this season is the lack of rotation. It's been more or less the same eleven week in, week out with maybe one or two players coming in at some stage and players are tired.

It's quite difficult to believe that players are tired though isn't it. We have had our pre-season, we are well into the Premier League and Champions League season, so the players should be match fit. I guess the ones that are playing week in, week out are but the likes of Moses, Marin, Sturridge and Romeu are not.

I guess to his credit so far ahead of today where Gary Cahill will come in and replace David Luiz who is suspended, Rafa has used fifteen players in the two games he has managed so far. Cahill will be his sixteenth and it will be interesting to see if Rafa decides to rest Oscar for our trip to West Ham with Marko Marin coming in to replace him as Oscar has started more or less every week.

Whether we like it or not, Rafa IS here to stay for the remainder of the season. He has said from day one that he wants to come in and work hard to improve the players and it's seems that he is doing exactly that.

I guess for all of us Chelsea fans it's a bit of a wake up call really for all of us. We have wondered why our form has take a dive? Wondered why we couldn't beat the likes of Swansea, West Brom, Liverpool and Juventus and within two weeks, Benitez seems to have come up with the answer.

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Carefree & KTBFFH!