Ranieri unfazed by Chelsea return

Revisiting the club where he spent four memorable years, Claudio Ranieri is proud of his achievements at Chelsea FC but that will not sway him from his intention of taking Juventus past his old side and into the quarter-finals of Europe's élite club competition.

Happy return
Ranieri was manager at Chelsea from 2000 to 2004, leading the team to a UEFA Champions League semi-final in his last season in London, and although he betrayed a trace of nostalgia in discussing his return to Stamford Bridge, he has not let the primary goal slip from his focus. "It feels good to be back," he said. "Even when the draw was made, it was a good feeling – one does not forget four years. But we have to concentrate on the game."

Lasting legacy
The Italian coach was succeeded at Chelsea by José Mourinho, who went on to claim back-to-back English titles, but the nucleus of that championship-winning squad was brought in or nurtured by Ranieri. Frank Lampard, Claude Makelele, Petr Čech and Joe Cole were all signed by the 57-year-old, while John Terry became a regular and then captain under his stewardship. However, Ranieri is typically modest about his tenure. "I don't think I wrote much in the pages of history here, but the time I spent here was wonderful, the third year in particular when we qualified for the Champions League," he said. "I think I have been given credit by the fans – they always give me a good welcome when I come back and say 'thanks Claudio, you did well here'."

Rotation reputation
Dubbed the 'Tinkerman' by the British press because of his squad rotation policy, Ranieri steered Chelsea to the runners-up spot in England in 2003/04. However, his tactical decisions backfired in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg at AS Monaco FC that season, when, with the hosts down to ten men and the game delicately poised at 1-1, his substitutions did not have the desired effect and Monaco ran out 3-1 winners. "I think that's history and we're here to write a new page," he said. "The main thing I remember is the return leg, where we conceded just before half-time. We might have gone on to the final if that hadn't happened, but that's history and we cannot change it."

New approach
With Guus Hiddink installed as Chelsea's latest manager – their third in 18 months – in place of Luiz Felipe Scolari, Ranieri believes the approach to success has changed in the years since he left England. "I agree with Sir Alex Ferguson: football's changing. Here in England you did have the time to bring in young players. Now everyone wants to come top but there can only be one winner. People want instant success but football isn't like that. You need time to build a team and, yes, money is important to do that, but not the most important thing, which isn't necessarily a bad thing."

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