I’m not talking about Pep Guardiola.

Rafa Benitez didn’t say exactly that during his post match press conference in mid-week after his Chelsea side blew a 2-0 half time lead at home to relegations strugglers Southampton.

Benitez didn’t need to say it. His attitude, his soft voice – that appeared even more hushed then normal at the start of the interrogation into his side’s draw – and his body language said it all.

He must have known the topic would crop up before his side arrived at Stamford Bridge for their Premier League tie, with Bayern Munich announcing the Catalan King would be their manager for their 2013/14 campaign just hours earlier.

The fact his side imploded after a dominant first half display may have even been beneficial to the Spanish Manager, who last week was voted as the most popular successor to Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid by readers of the Spanish paper Marca.

The questioning, as expected, was about Fernando Torres’ less then impactful involvement from the substitutes bench, about the boos that rang out for Rafa’s Spanish striker when he replaced Frank Lampard for the final 15 minutes of the game, and the fact that their last two games against QPR and the Saints have failed to bring three points.

But then came the Guardiola question. It almost burst into the room, as if the question itself had escaped from the lips that were holding it captive for the last five minutes.

“What do you make of the news that Pep Guardiola has signed with Bayern Munich?”

Benitez’ initial shrug was his attempt to stay silent on the matter, but an answer was needed.

“That has to be fine for him because he’s decided to got there,” was the tentative initial response.

“Does it surprise you?”

“Nope.”

Rafa’s biggest rival for the Chelsea job, the man who Roman Abramovich supposedly was willing to give £18,000,000 a year to join the reigning Champions of Europe, was now out of the picture. Rafa was brought in, initially, as an interim manager. It even said it next to his name on the team sheet at The Bridge.

With Guardiola out of the picture, who else, aside from Jose Mourinho, is in line to take the job.

“My job is to get three points against Arsenal,” was the Spaniards response when asked how the move affects the longevity of his reign at Chelsea. The message was clear, Benitez wants to focus on the next game in Chelsea’s schedule and move on from an embarrassing mid-week draw.

But there could be more to it. I Rafa realizing, first hand, what it’s lke to be ‘in charge’ at Stamford Bridge. The constant boos from the crowd, the pressure to play Torres, and the feeling that you’re not really in control at all could be hitting home, and Rafa may not want to talk about staying on at Chelsea because he doesn’t want to stay on at Chelsea.

His dream pay day is turning into a rather depressing nightmare and, as the lights on Munich in last may finally begin to fade and die above the Bridge, Rafa may want to get as far from South West London as he can.

Next stop Los Blancos?