RAFAEL BENITEZ DESERVES CREDIT FOR DAVID LUIZ CONVERSION

'TIS still the season of goodwill - although you would hardly guess if you went down to Stamford Bridge right now.
     Yes, many Chelsea fans continue to be peeved that Rafael Benitez is still in charge of their football club.
     They despise him from his time as manager of Liverpool FC and for his critical comments about the Blues in that role.
     I, too, had my reservations - I did not think Roberto Di Matteo deserved the sack and I certainly did not envisage Benitez as the man to take Chelsea forwards.
     But let's be fair...he has done a good job so far.
     I am not saying he is the man for the job or that he should keep the role if someone of the ilk of Mourinho or Klopp comes available in summer (before you mention Pep, I reiterate once again that Guardiola is set for Man United).
     But I can't deny that the Spaniard has strengthened the defence and got the team playing well.
     And for one thing alone he deserves immense praise - for being the man who had the vision and the courage to turn David Luiz into a maurauding midfielder.
      Luiz is surely the next club captain and I am convinced he will be a great leader in what is arguably his best position, certainly one he can grow into.
     Even if you don't like the bloke, it is both wrong and xenophobic to call Benitez 'a fat Spanish waiter'.
    Credit where credit's due...even if he does leave in the summer, he has solved two urgent problems for Chelsea FC.
     With Luiz's conversion, Benitez has provided hope that Frank Lampard CAN be replaced (although Luiz will certainly have to up his goalscoring abilities) - and he has also provided the Blues with the man who can take over from John Terry as the team's inspirational leader for the next decade.

FRANK WORRALL  

TOM CRUISE BACKS A WINNER WITH JACK REACHER

UNLIKE many journalists, I have a soft spot for Tom Cruise. I don't judge him on his religious beliefs or his relationship with Katie Holmes - I just see a bloke whose kids from his marriage to Nicole Kidman adore him, who lives his own life and who brings joy to millions as one of the world's best actors.
      But, of course, I have noted the bad publicity Cruise has amassed of late and I was interested to see if he would cop another load of flak after taking on the role of Jack Reacher in his latest movie outing.
      I myself love Lee Child's books about the Yankee loner who drifts from town to town and invariably ends up sorting out the bad guys.
      But there was a real unease about the casting of Cruise, who is 5 and a half feet, in the role of Reacher, who is 6 and a half feet - and twice the physical build.
      Cruise and his studio had invested $10million buying into the Reacher franchise - a gamble...but one that I have to say has paid off.
      Cruise is brilliant as Reacher. Forget the size difference - you don't notice thanks to clever camera angles and the lean shape Cruise is in for a bloke of 50.
      He conveys the essence of the character and I reckon Cruise has made probably the cleverest move of his career - and the best film too.
      From being a bloke on the verge of becoming yesterday's man, Cruise's investment has now opened up a future that he could surely only have dreamed of.
     The future is his as he now has the whole back catalogue of Reacher books to bring to the big screen - in one clever swoop he has established a future for himself that you wouldn't have thought possible at the height of his break-up from Holmes earlier this year.
      Cruise is Reacher - he has pulled it off against the odds - and for that brave plunge into the unknown, which could have ended his career, he deserves a bit of credit.
       But don't just believe me - go and see the film for yourselves...

FRANK WORRALL 

GUARDIOLA WILL END UP AT MAN UTD (I SAY AGAIN!)

Just to reiterate...Pep Guardiola will be the next manager of Manchester United. A verbal agreement has apparently already been reached between Pep and the Utd board and Sir Alex, who wants Pep to take over and continue his good work.

Mourinho was never going to be the man - not with Bobby Charlton opposing him. I pointed out some time ago that Bobby was against him and the great man recently publicly confirmed that.

So remember where you read it first..I said it some months ago, and I repeat again, Guardiola will be the new manager of Utd, not Mourinho. 

FRANK WORRALL

MAN UTD WILL BEAT REAL MADRID - BUT ARSENAL AND CELTIC ARE OUT

I have a sneak feeling United will see off Madrid in two tough matches.

I can see them losing by a single goal in the Bernabeu and beating them by two goals at Old Trafford.

Both teams are brilliant in attack but not so hot in midfield so it could even be something like a 5-4 aggregate win!

But I fear Celtic and Arsenal will lose against Juve and Bayern respectively.

Juve are strong and unrelenting and, along with Munich, one of the faves to win the whole competition.

I can see a 1-1 draw in Glasgow and a 3-1 win for Juve in Turin.

As for Arsenal, as I say in another blog they have their work cut out against the team who could well win the cup at Wembley in May.

It seems the era of British teams dominating the event is well and truly over.

FRANK WORRALL

BAYERN MUNICH SO ARROGANT RE ARSENAL CHAMP LGE DRAW

When Arsenal were drawn out of the hat with German giants Bayern Munich, you could see the delight on the Bayern delegation.

One of them said it was an easy draw and the other couldn't stop laughing.

I sincerely hope Arsenal stick it up 'em when they play in Feb and March!!

I remember similar sentiments from the Bayern camp when Man Utd were losing 1-0 against them in Barca in 1999. The loathsome Lothar Mattheus went over to the Munich supporters and raised his fist in triumph.

Just three minutes later he was on the ground shaking his head and in despair after United won 2-1 in stoppage time.

How I would love the Gunners to be able to pull off a similar miracle over two legs next year.

And make no mistake - it would be a miracle. Bayern are my favourites to lift the trophy.

They were good against Chelsea last May but have since strengthened and now have a powerful squad. I fear they will have too much for Arsenal, but I pray they don't have...

FRANK WORRALL

WENGER SHOULD GO TO BARCA - ARSENAL DON'T DESERVE HIM

I was saddened to learn that Barca coach Tito Vilanova is about to stand aside because his cancer has returned. My best wishes to Tito and his family at this very tough time.
     Of course, he has done an excellent job since taking over from Pep in the summer - as I speak the Catalan kings are 13 points clear at the top of Serie A and favourites (again) to win the Champions League.
     But family and health come first.
     For Barca, the problem now is who to replace him with.
     Well, for what it's worth, if I was in charge at the Camp Nou, I would go for Arsene Wenger.
     He is one of the top five managers in the world today and his Arsenal team are not known as 'Barca lite' for no reason...it is because he advocates playing the sort of flowing, wonderful football for which Barca are famed and adored.
     And here's the rub - I think Arsene deserves a break from Arsenal.
     The way he has been treated and abused by the Emirates fans of late is a disgrace.
     Here is a man who has built the modern-day Arsenal and yet a section of spoilt fans are calling for his head and shouting abuse.
      Put simply, they don't deserve a manager as good as Wenger and Arsene is too good for them.
      Go on Arsene, head off to Barca - and enjoy the last few years of your time in management.
       They say you only realise you had a good thing when it is gone - those Gunners fans who have abused the best manager in their history will become only too painfully aware of that if Wenger does leave.

FRANK WORRALL