Rafa no catas-trophy

RAFA BENITEZ accepts his Chelsea reign will be judged on how many trophies he wins next month.

But the interim boss insists he is already a success after keeping them afloat in impossible circumstances.
The Spaniard will lead his team out at Wembley for tomorrow’s FA Cup semi-final, 48 hours after returning from Moscow, where Chelsea booked a Europa League last-four clash with Swiss side Basel.
Benitez said: “You cannot stop people from judging you on the number of trophies you have won.
“In 10 years’ time they will not remember, ‘They qualified in Moscow on a Thursday, playing with Paulo Ferreira and Nathan Ake’.
“But I will know what I did here with the players I had available to me at the time and I think I have done a good job. If you look at the big picture and analyse the last few months like a professional, you’ll see the job we have done here.
“We got to the final of the Club World Cup and we got to the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup.
“We are now in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the Europa League and we are in third place in the Premier League.

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“And we have achieved all this with a squad that is in transition and many young players with a lack of experience of English football.
“So if we finish in the top three and win one or two trophies, I will be really pleased and really proud.”
Having drawn Spurs’ conquerors Basel yesterday, Chelsea were immediately installed as favourites for the Europa League after avoiding a long trip to Fenerbahce or a tricky tie against Benfica. Benitez said: “All the semi-finalists are good teams. We were thinking which might be the best for us.
“Basel is not too far away so maybe it’s not a bad option — but only because of that.”

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There is still the chance of an all-Spanish or all-German final in the Champions League. The semi-final draw paired Barcelona with Bayern Munich, while Real Madrid face Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes said he will not ask former Barca boss Pep Guardiola for advice.
Guardiola replaces Heynckes at the German champions next season.
But Heynkes said: “Respect me and my work. I have never consulted anyone or asked for advice. I do not need anyone to study an opponent.”