Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez’s resumed his war of words with Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson by belittling the Red Devils’ Premier League title win.
The Blues travel to Old Trafford to take on newly-crowned Premier League champions United on Sunday, a match which could mark the last time Benitez, almost certain leave Chelsea at the end of the season, locks horns with Ferguson.
Both Benitez and Ferguson have a history of bad blood dating back to the Spaniard’s time in charge of Liverpool.
The two managers met twice earlier this season in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup which ended in the StamfordBridge outfit’s favour after two-legs, but their rivalry was renewed when the Spanish tactician accused the Scotsman of refusing to shake hands after the game in the first-leg.
And Benitez has now stoked the flames ahead of his side’s clash with United by suggesting Ferguson could only lead the Red Devils to success in the Premier League but could not do so in Europe.
When asked whether it was hard to go up against a manager who has won so much, Benitez was quoted by the Sun as replying: “Yes, in England.
“When you are with a top side and you have had more money than anyone for years, then you can keep winning and keep talking.
“But when you play against another top side it’s always more difficult. Should he have done more in Europe? I don’t know. We will leave it there.”
Benitez, who won the manager of the month award for April, also dismissed the effectiveness of the famed “mind games” Ferguson had played over the years and insinuated that United were not the best team in England this season.
“People always like to talk about mind games, but who normally wins these meetings?” Benitez countered.
“The team with the better players.
“You can’t play mind games when you have a team at the bottom of the table because you will never win.
“But when you have a very good team you can play mind games with everyone because you can win. And we have a very good team at Chelsea.
“Better than United? It depends. They have been more consistent than anyone this season so they deserve the title.
“But are they better than ManchesterCity and Chelsea? I’m not so sure.”
While United have virtually nothing left to play for this season, Chelsea are still challenging for a spot in the top four, and Benitez admits the Blues have to brace themselves for several daunting fixtures ahead.
“They [United] have won the title but for us it’s still a massive game,” Benitez added.
“United showed against Arsenal last week that they are still very competitive and I’m sure they will still try to win in front of their home fans.
“If they relax a bit it will be much better for us, but I don’t think that will happen. They don’t have too many weaknesses but hopefully we can see some on Sunday.
“If we win our next three games, we will be sure of third place before the Europa League final.
“We have United and then Spurs, which is a game that could make a crucial difference, before we face an Aston Villa team fighting to avoid relegation. So I don’t see any easy matches before the end.”
United ran out 3-1 winners over Chelsea in last season’s corresponding fixture.
