Leicester boss Ranieri prepares to return to Chelsea for first time

Nick Mashiter 06:55 14/12/2015
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  • Top of the league: Ranieri.

    Claudio Ranieri has admitted he knew he would be fired by Chelsea as soon as Roman Abramovich bought the club. The Leicester boss faces his former side for the first time in the Premier League since being axed in 2004.

    Jose Mourinho replaced him at Stamford Bridge after Ranieri had guided Chelsea to second, a year after Abramovich took control in 2003.

    Ranieri has taken Leicester top this season in a stunning comeback to English football after replacing Nigel Pearson in the summer – and they will return to the summit with victory against the Blues after Manchester City and Arsenal moved ahead of them over the weekend.

    But the Italian knew his number was up at Chelsea once Abramovich moved in. He said: “Yes, immediately. The chief executive (Trevor Birch) told me there is a new owner and I said ‘me and you are the first who go home’. You imagine, the new owner arrives and he wants to put in his own men. It is normal.

    “If the new owner wants to change something, it is normal. I wanted to show our best and we bought some good players. I wanted to win something.

    “In July Abramovich wanted to bring Sven Goran Eriksson, who was the manager of the national team. It wasn’t possible for him and he said ‘OK start and we’ll see what we can buy’.”

    A year after he left Chelsea won the title under Mourinho with the core of the squad signed by Ranieri. He brought Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Claude Makelele to the club and had already agreed to sign Petr Cech while also targeting Didier Drogba and Arjen Robben before he left.

    He added: “Nobody needed to tell me ‘thank you’, why? I chose Petr Cech and had been to Eindhoven to take Robben and I suggested Drogba but that is it.”

    Riyad Mahrez has moved to ease the pressure on Leicester ahead of their showdown with Chelsea. The 11-goal winger, who scored a hat-trick in the Foxes’ 3-0 win at Swansea last time out, reckons the Foxes can play with freedom against the stuttering champions on Monday night.

    He said: “We don’t have any pressure. No-one said at the beginning of the season Leicester would be first in December. We’re training, laughing and joking and when the games come we work hard for each other. It doesn’t matter for us, it’s just a team. We focus on our team and Chelsea are a big club, but we’ll play like we always do.

    “Last year was the first for a lot of players in the Premier League. We needed some games to get experience. I think the last year has helped a lot of players, like me, and now we are ready for every game.”

    Chelsea will be out to stop Mahrez and fellow in-form striker, Jamie Vardy, with Mourinho proud of his side’s rediscovered steel in defence.

    The previously robust Premier League holders have been remarkably meek in defence this season, contributing to their miserable campaign so far. But four clean sheets in five games has revived Mourinho’s confidence, with the 1-0 Bournemouth loss last weekend considered a blip.

    Mourinho, who has no fresh injury concerns, said: “The tactical adjustments are minimal compared with the global attitude. I always say the same: you defend with 11 players, you have more chances to defend well.

    “In this moment our team is working well and hard defensively, the attacking players are doing their job. Everyone has a job to do and when everybody does their job, it’s easier.” 

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