Football: Chelsea infighting no problem says Benitez

LONDON: Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez played down the argument between Frank Lampard and David Luiz in their Europa League match at Rubin Kazan, an incident that hinted at internal discord heading into the season’s climax. Chelsea became England’s last remaining representatives in Europe when they moved into the semi-finals of the Europa League despite a 3-2 defeat on the night, as Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United both stumbled out. With an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City tomorrow and the fight for Champions League qualification warming up, Benitez refused to question his players’ passion for the cause. “It’s always good to have players arguing about things that happen on the pitch so you can correct these things at half-time,” Benitez told reporters. “We were talking about that, adjusting positions, so it’s fine.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th, 2013.