Rafa Benitez is running out of time at Chelsea

It has been 10 tumultuous years, the greatest decade in Chelsea history. Three titles. Five Champions League semi-finals, capped by that night of glory in Munich last May. Four FA Cup triumphs. Two League Cup wins. Oh, and just the nine managers. But as Rafa Benitez sifted through the wreckage of his trip to the Etihad, the reality facing the Blues was stark. Locked into a fight to the finish for a top four slot, Chelsea now confront the most crucial three months since Roman Abramovich transformed the club into a global powerhouse. And if they do not win what Arsene Wenger controversially claimed as the "third trophy" then the entire future of the club will be changed. Benitez, confident in his own abilities, believed he was the man to transform Chelsea whenhe was parachuted into the seat still warm from Roberto Di Matteo's backside in November. Yet the results have not come. Where Di Matteo garnered 24 points from 12 Premier League games before being relieved of his command, Benitez has picked up just 25 from 16. Chelsea, four points adrift of top spot on November 23, are now 19 off the pace. Benitez, whose reign at Liverpool ended amid political intrigues more akin to a medieval court than a football club, had arrived in SW6 determined to avoid the squabbles. But Technical Director Michael Emenalo - the man responsible for player recruitment - is understood to be seething at Benitez' continued complaints about the depth and balance of the squad. Falling out with the man who pushed hardest for your recruitment is not the smartest move on the planet but more critical is Benitez' relationship with his players. Benitez believed he could right the wrongs on the training ground but is now resigned to his fate. Chelsea's mad fixture list - tomorrow's trip to Middlesbrough will be their 16th of 2013 and 27th in 94 days - has prevented any real intensive work. At the same time, the players are beginning to voice private doubts over the Spaniard's methods and practices. They are devoutly unconvinced. The feelings are seemingly mutual, with Benitez bewailing the lack of leadership and personality in his squad - yet at the same time omitting the one man who embodies those qualities , with skipper John Terry a frustrated figure on the Etihad bench on Sunday. That Terry wants to play and feels he should is obvious. There has been no ruck between interim manager and captain but at the same time the centre-half is growing increasingly anguished by what he has witnessed. But Petr Cech, one of the most influential players in the Blues dressing room, is no longer hiding his unhappiness, his struggle to come up with a form of verbal backing for Benitez last week indicative of that declining faith. The Spaniard is castigated for what are deemed dull, like-for- like substitutions and for his support of Fernando Torres - one goal, against Brentford, in 15 appearances - although switching to 4-4-2 at Manchester City brought little change. Benitez knew his best resolution with the Chelsea fans was to reach the point of grudging acceptance but any chance of that evaporated with the home defeat by QPR. Since then it has been a downward spiral, on and off the pitch. When Chelsea win only six games out of 15, in all competitions, it is a crisis. And now the test is more critical. The trip to Teesside is an obstacle but it is the last 10 Premier League matches that matter. Chelsea's squad is not strong enough. Last season's sixth- placed finish, masked by the Champions League and FA Cup triumphs, were a pointer to this term's struggles. But if Chelsea are not dining at European football's High Table, it will be far tougher to persuade managers and players to join by cash alone - even harder in the era of Financial Fair Play. Finish fifth and it is leftovers and crumbs, not the main course. Luis Felipe Scolari, Andre Villa Boas and Roberto Di Matteo all lost their jobs because the men who matter at Stamford Bridge feared Chelsea would not finish in the top four. Villas-Boas, exactly a year ago next Monday, and Di Matteo, were both guillotined following defeats by West Brom. And Saturday's visitors to SW6? The Baggies, of course. Benitez knows there is no more margin for error.