New Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez has urged fans to consider a clean slate. Benitez doesn't believe the Chelsea fans should be opposed to his appointment, despite the run-ins he had with the club when Liverpool manager.

Benitez had a number of Champions League showdowns with Jose Mourinho's Chelsea when Liverpool manager and some of his comments at the time antagonised the Blues fans.

But he said: "I want to be honest, if I say this or that, I have to analyse the context.

"We were playing against Chelsea in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

"If I am a fan I want to see the manager fighting for my club. I don't see this as a lack of respect for Chelsea's fans, just a manager defending his team."

He added: "I like to do things in the right way for the fans.

"The fans and manager want to win every single game, nobody wants to win more than fans and manager.

"At the end I think that they will be pleased."