Chelsea boss Benitez reveals talks with Terry & Lampard The Blues' interim manager said that he had a "positive" conversation with the influential duo after he took over to ensure he had the players' support.

Rafael Benitez has revealed that he held talks with John Terry and Frank Lampard after taking over as interim Chelsea boss to ensure he had their backing.

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The former Liverpool manager was an unpopular replacement to Roberto Di Matteo for the fans, considering his fierce rivalry with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and considering that Di Matteo had led the Blues to the UEFA Champions League title six months earlier. The Spanish boss says that he sought out the club's captain and vice-captain after joining the Blues to outline his commitment to the cause.

"I had a conversation at the beginning with Frank and Terry," Benitez told reporters. "They were injured and we spent time in the dressing room while the team were doing the warm-up. We were talking about the rivalry and the mentality from before. At Liverpool, I had at that time, a good mentality - a winning mentality. They have, and had, a winning mentality.

"That is positive and I told them that, together, we will be better than we were when we were on different sides."