Rafael Benitez has insisted that he can be pleased with what he achieved during his short time as Chelsea manager, as he prepares for his first return to Stamford Bridge.
The Newcastle United boss spent six months in West London following the dismissal of Roberto di Matteo, winning the Europa League and finishing in a credible third place in the Premier League.
Benitez was hardly welcomed by Chelsea supporters, though, due to his strong links with rivals Liverpool, but he is not expecting a raucous reception when returning to the Bridge on Saturday lunchtime.
"It's fine. I didn't know it was the first time," he told reporters. "It's fine, hopefully it will be a great atmosphere, a great game and we can get three points. I think [the Chelsea fans] will be fine, the normal fans that you could find in the streets were okay.
"The rivalry between Liverpool and Chelsea at this time changed things and the perceptions of some people, but the majority of the fans realised I was doing a professional job. We were finishing third when everyone wanted to qualify for the Champions League. We did it and we won the Europa League in the meantime and so I think the fans will be happy with that.
"It was a really positive time, I have a lot of friends there, the staff were really good, the players were fine, a lot of the fans were okay and so I think it was quite positive. I try to take the positives, that they realised that we were doing our job and we did it until the end and we achieved what they wanted and even more, so fine."
Benitez's next job saw him take over at Italian club Napoli, before a spell with Real Madrid and then Newcastle.
Daniel Lewis
