Rafa Benitez sends warning to new Chelsea boss Graham Potter

Rafa Benitez has fired a warning to new Chelsea boss Graham Potter.

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Chelsea announced the appointment of Potter as their new head coach on a five-year contract earlier this month after the Blues decided to sack Thomas Tuchel following their opening Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.

Potter’s first match ended in a 1-1 draw against Red Bull Salzburg and the former Brighton head coach will take charge of his first Premier League game for Chelsea when they travel to face Crystal Palace on October 1.

Benitez was interim boss at Chelsea in 2012-13 and the Spaniard has also managed Liverpool, Newcastle United, Everton, Real Madrid and Inter Milan.

Quizzed about Potter, Benitez told Sky Sports: ‘He did a great job [at Brighton].

‘When you have good ideas and they give you time, you can develop something, so the environment was good for him.

‘[But] I always use the example of Getafe [in La Liga]. There are too many teams like Getafe in the comfortable zone.

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‘What is the difference if you finish 10th or 11th? Nothing. Between 8th and 15th, maybe you don’t really have any issues.

‘You can play the style you want, if you lose it does not matter because you have the next game.

‘Now, he will feel the pressure [at Chelsea]. Hopefully he does well, because I do like him.

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‘But he has to win. Now you cannot play nice football for six months and win nothing.

‘He has to be in the top