Claudio Ranieri - Proud Man Walking

I liked to change my formations, because I knew I had players with the tactical flexibility to be able to do it, but listing them for the sake of convenience as a conventional 4 – 4 – 2 below, for the season to date, creates an impressive picture. What’s more, it’s a pleasant dose of responsibility.

I repeat, if everyone can see that they are all in-distinguishably indispensable to the success of a common purpose, then we really might achieve the great aims set for ourselves. All the elements are in place, but I also know very well that it can be difficult for a player to accept the decisions of the coach, even though we are all professionals. Maybe there will be a few long faces now and again, but I still feel that, content or otherwise, everyone will know my decisions are taken in good faith. I am confident that our relationships will be frank and open, and I would like to have the same confidence, even at this early stage of the season, that we will be putting new silverware in the cabinet.

Taking a good look at the calendar during the summer, it was the month of September that appeared the most complicated, even if – or perhaps precisely because – it is the month with the fewest fixtures. September, of course, sees the start of the Champions League group stage and the long break from club football when internationals are played.

Perhaps one day in my career I will be offered the chance to coach a national team, and to be honest, in another ten years or so I would quite like to do it. Then I will see the problem from the other point of view, but from where I stand at the moment, these breaks are a burden on the club. Of course the needs of the national teams cannot be ignored, but it is a heavy imposition to have my players going off in numbers to all parts of the globe at this critical time. Certainly, if you want world-class footballers in your side then you know beforehand what to expect, because obviously they all represent their countries, but even knowing this, it is a situation fraught with difficulties. Especially in this instance, because of how quickly it comes around, after only a few Premiership fixtures. You start and then stop again, and this is not good for any kind of group endeavour. It is the same for all clubs, but because Chelsea have so many new players and we need more than other teams to find the right mix, it is worse for us. Being together at this stage is fundamentally important for team spirit, familiarization with plans, physical training, relationships in the dressing room … But there is no way around it, and all a manager can do is concentrate on the players he still has. There may not be many, and none are too fortunate either, since their efforts and attitude come under even closer scrutiny.

I gathered together the players available to me at our semi-deserted Harlington ground and, with the help of my staff, took the opportunity to put them through a few basics – physical mainly, but technical too, why not? It is actually rather an odd sensation seeing the dressing rooms half empty, and though it is nice to be able to park the car without a major struggle, there are problems with the organization of training matches too. To make up the numbers, I asked Mick McGiven (our invaluable reserve-team coach) to bring a few youngsters along, so that they could get the chance to test themselves at a higher level, and I had the opportunity to see them at close quarters. Whenever commitments with the first team allow, I always go along to see youth- or reserve-team games, and not only because it is a part of my ‘duties’. I love the Chelsea jersey whatever the level of the player who wears it, and quite apart from the professional obligation involved in hearing the day-to-day reports that Mick and youth coach Steve Clarke pass on in our dressing room, and finding out if there are one or two youngsters who have been making good progress. Steve Clarke was a defender in his playing days, a Chelsea stalwart from the 1997 FA Cup-winning side. In addition to his coaching duries he would often scout for me, and provide written reports on opponents.

I enjoy simply standing on the terraces and cheering. There is the risk sometimes in these games at Harlington that the younger ones may get pumped up and overdo things a little. Fortunately no-one has ever been overcompetitive to the point of hurting a first-team player, which can happen in football from time to time. Some years ago in Rome, just to give an example, Paul Gascoigne was dealt a serious injury by a very young Alessandro Nesta – who went on to become one of the best central defenders in the world.

It was also a month that opened with an important announcement regarding the history of the club. At the season’s first meeting of the Chairman’s Supper Club, Ken Bates stated officially that he would be stepping down in 2005 to become Life President. It is certainly not my place to remind Blues supporters of how important Ken has been to Chelsea, as his name will always be written large in the history of the club, but I would just like to include a word or two about our personal relationship. It’s a surprisingly ‘beautiful friendship’, in a certain sense. Surprising, because it is confined almost exclusively to the time spent in flights to and from away games. I rarely go into the office, he never visits the dressing rooms, and so our meetings are in reality somewhat sporadic. Something must have clicked between us – who knows what? – because I’m sure he has fondness for me just as I feel affection for him. I was amazed when, still with a year and a half left on my contract, he wanted me to sign up for another five years with the club. This was a huge offer, not least considering the current economic situation in professional football in general, and at the club in particular. It was a decision that made me extremely proud too, because it was a gesture made by someone who can be seen always to have acted wisely in the interests of the club. Prior to the renewal, I had worked with commitment, and extremely hard. I had taken the club to an FA Cup Final, though we had still not laid our hands on a trophy. So in all sincerity, what had persuaded him to offer me this important extension? I think he must have appreciated the way I work, and the way I am. He understood that I was taking on the job enthusiastically, even though it was a difficult time for the club. Bates was the right man in charge during an extremely complex period in the history of the club. Thanks to his foresight, his total devotion to the cause and his courageous decisions – unpopular sometimes, but necessary – Chelsea FC have been able to keep the respect due to a club in the very top flight of the game. He made sure a collapse was avoided in the 1980s and opened the door to a new era that promises to be even more exciting and, I hope, full of success under the new owner, Roman Abramovich.

We had had to wait a couple of weeks for the resumption of the Premiership, but finding our concentration and the right level of determination was no problem at all, with Tottenham waiting for us. In fact, I soon learned from the fans during my first year in London that of the various derbies played in the course of a season, the biggest for the Blues is the one against Spurs. The atmosphere is awesome even to me, and I have been involved in some big local derbies too, in Rome as a player, and in Madrid as a coach. The great thing for us ‘non-English’ is to see how the fans can display passion, fervour and pride for their teams without it spilling over into violence. I know there was a problem during the 1970s and part of the 1980s, but now it has all but disappeared. As an Italian it is something I can only admire, and even envy in some measure, as things are very different back home. Obviously I do not want to point the finger at anyone in Italy, but really one has to applaud the police and the clubs for the work that they have done in this country, and the civilized behaviour of fans everywhere. It was so good to see supporters mingling outside and inside the stadium with their different coloured shirts and scarves, knowing that many of them travelled on the Underground and walked together from Fulham Broadway station with no quarrels and no problems.