Rafa rap has to stop at Chelsea

CHELSEA fans are going to have to make a decision soon.

They can sing all they like of how they do not care about Rafa Benitez and how he does not care about them.

And yes, the Shed End can continually bark out the name of Roberto Di Matteo.

What good does it do, though?

As Benitez would surely admit, the facts are there for all to see.

As long as the manager gets Fernando Torres to play like this and gets results, he will be going nowhere.

And why should he? Speaking to him in the bowels of the Stadium of Light on Saturday, you got the firm impression of a man just loving being back in football.

Yes, he heard the chants. Yes, he knows he is not popular.

But he does not care.

All he cares about is doing his job — which is winning football matches.

This week’s Club World Cup in Japan will give the Spaniard some much-needed time to gel with his squad before the flurry of Christmas action.

Coming up against a Sunderland side now plunged deep into a relegation battle is not much of a marker. But Chelsea looked like contenders here.

Torres is slowly finding his feet and his double blast, before Juan Mata sealed it, helped the Blues maintain third spot. They are knocking on the door. Benitez knows a title push remains alive and said: “You have to remember last year that in January everyone was saying that Manchester City would win the title easily.

“And yet at the end on the last day they could have lost it and had to score in the last minute to win it.

“If we play at this level and at this intensity we will win games in a row and hopefully we will be there.

“I knew about the quality of the team but obviously we needed to improve the balance. The team was doing well in attack but had problems in defence.

“But in the last two games the team have shown the character.”

The manager has showed some, too. Standing on the touchline looking out on his first Premier League win with the Blues, the anti-Benitez chants continued to rain down. Bothered?

The former Liverpool boss added: “When you come here so far away from home and we win then the fans go home pleased.

“They will have realised the players are trying to do their best. I care about the team, I care about the club and everyone here and I want to win.

“I will try to do my best from day one to the last day.

“The main thing for me is that if we can play like this I am sure the fans will appreciate the job we are trying to do.

“Am I enjoying it? Yes, of course. Winning is fantastic.

“After a year and a half without coaching and training I am enjoying trying to improve players, improve the team and win games.”

That was evident on Wearside. As soon as Torres coolly stabbed in on 11 minutes, the Blues were always in control.

Sunderland had their moments, noticeably from Adam Johnson’s best display for the Black Cats, but it was not enough.

Seb Larsson needs his head testing after pulling down Ramires to allow Torres to bag his first-ever Premier League penalty. The Spaniard then smacked the bar, allowing Mata to score.

Johnson’s brilliant strike was ultimately nothing more than a consolation.

So onwards to Japan, where Benitez suddenly has the chance to win his first piece of Chelsea silverware.

Gloryhunter Roman Abramovich loves seeing his plaything in lights and the Blues boss knows the Russian wants to see him arrive home with an early Christmas present.

He said: “I think he has a passion for the game and for winning trophies. Now we have a trophy to win and we will try to win it.

“For him, for us, for a top side like Chelsea, every trophy is an opportunity. To win, to challenge, we have to do it.”

And if he does, what will the song be about then?