Rafael Benítez encouraged by Chelsea development since taking charge

Rafael Benítez says he has been encouraged by his Chelsea side’s improvement since he took the reins at Stamford Bridge.

The Spaniard’s reign got off to a stuttering start as two goalless draws were compounded by a defeat at West Ham United.

But the Blues then thrashed Nordsjaelland 6-1, before easing to a 3-1 win over Sunderland to leave third-placed Chelsea 10 points behind leaders Manchester United in the Premier League table.

Chelsea are currently gearing up for their Fifa Club World Cup opener against Mexican side Monterrey on Thursday – and the ex-Liverpool boss was in positive spirits following his side’s back-to-back wins.

“We’ve tried to change little things, things we could improve,” said Benítez. “Tactically we’ve tried to be more compact and press high.

“When you change manager, players want to prove that they should be picked for every game and that’s been the situation.

“In the last two games we’ve played much better, created more chances and that’s good for the confidence of the players.”

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