Benitez denies talk of a dressing room rift at Chelsea

Feb 26, 2013 8:40:00 PM

The former Liverpool coach has insisted he has a "fantastic" relationship with the Blues players, despite suggestions of a falling-out with John Terry and other senior stars

Chelsea interim boss Rafael Benitez has denied talk of a dressing room bust-up and insisted he has a "fantastic" relationship with his players.

Despite talk of a training-ground falling out between the Spaniard and his senior players following their 2-0 loss to Manchester City on Sunday, the former Liverpool and Valencia boss has stated they simply shared a routine meeting.

There has been speculation in recent weeks that Benitez and club captain John Terry do not see eye-to-eye, and the ex-England international was again on the bench against Manchester City.

And while Benitez can understand Terry's disappointment at his lack of playing time, he believes it is right to gradually reintroduce the centre-back as he continues he return from a lengthy injury lay-off.

He told reporters: "This was a normal meeting between players and technical staff, which happens after every game. It was normal talk, nothing else. You show your disappointment, that is normal.

"I can understand the frustration of Terry, an important player for us who's trying to help and push because he wants to win, but he has been injured for 16 weeks and has had problems with his knee.

"He's missed some training sessions. So we are managing him. He wants to win, but we have to manage our players.

"It was very brief exchange of ideas, and that is it, nothing else. It is just a team talk after a defeat. We had a meeting on the training pitch with my players and technical staff, which is part of our business."

Finally, he spoke of his relationship with the club's players, adding: "It is fantastic. I have no problem."