First of all, it is worth noting that when the Spaniard took charge of Chelsea towards the end of last year, he was met with a great deal of abuse. Chelsea fans didn't want him at the club and in truth, some of the players were probably hesitant too.
Chelsea had also lost their previous two matches and with expectation high after winning the Champions League last season, morale was low. Benitez needed to lift the squad.
Then followed two successive home games which probably wasn't ideal for the new boss. The pressure was immense, the protests were prominent and he was still getting to know his new team.
In these two fixtures at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea drew 0-0 on both occasions. This didn't exactly inspire the doubters and it was the beginning of a poor spell for Benitez.
A 3-1 defeat to West Ham United followed and despite a 6-1 hammering of Nordsjælland a few days later, Chelsea crashed out of the Champions League.
So, Chelsea fans had a manager they didn't want, had gone seven league games without a win and had already failed to defend their European title.
There have of course been blips and the former Liverpool boss has got his team selection wrong at times. However, with just five league games remaining, the Blues are in the top four of the Premier League, the semi-finals of the Europe League and managed to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Also, Chelsea were as good as out of the Champions League when he joined, so the Europa League became a new challenge and one Benitez has done well to motivate his team for.
Finally, FA Cup semi-final defeats can happen. Chelsea lost to a strong Manchester City side having progressed past Manchester United over two games in the previous round.
It could go one of two ways in the next few weeks of course. Chelsea could drop out of the top four and fail to win the Europa League.
If this is the case, Benitez will suffer a new load of criticism and will be forced out of the club with a big black mark next to his name.
However, if Chelsea finish 3rd and win the Europa League, Benitez will be able to walk away with his head held high. Then, he should get at least a little bit of credit for making something of a season that he met in an incredibly difficult situation.
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