Return of Ranieri offers Chelsea benchmark

If the pronouncements emanating from Stamford Bridge this week are to be believed, Guus Hiddink walked through the door and suddenly all was harmony and common purpose once more at Chelsea.

From the carefully choreographed group hug at the end of Saturday’s 1-0 win at Aston Villa – Hiddink’s first match in charge – to Frank Lampard’s claim that the ‘old’ Chelsea spirit was back, no effort has been spared in an attempt to bolster faith in the Dutchman’s ability to transform the fortunes of a group of players who had lost their way, individually and collectively, under Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Hiddink’s record as a motivator speaks for itself. But even the man who guided South Korea to the last four of the World Cup must harbour some doubts about his ability to squeeze more silverware out of Chelsea’s current crop of players.

The win at Villa offered some grounds for optimism but the visit of Juventus on Wednesday will provide a far more testing examination of the thesis that, as Lampard would have it, the resilience that characterised Chelsea in their recent prime has been restored.

“The win at Villa was the perfect lift for Juventus but it is only a start,” the England midfielder added. “We can’t relax and the manager won’t let us anyway.

“We need to move the ball quickly because Italian teams like to move the ball quickly and defensively they can be very frustrating. If we take too much time on the ball, we won’t be able to break them down and it is important we get the right result to go out there with.”

Chelsea’s peak years – and the club’s two Premier League titles – coincided with Jose Mourinho’s time in charge.

But Blues fans also recognise the importance of the foundations put in place by Mourinho’s predecessor, Claudio Ranieri, who will be back at the Bridge on Wednesday night at the helm of a Juventus side currently sitting in second place in Serie A.

Ranieri’s departure from Chelsea, in 2004, was followed by an unsuccessful spell at Valencia. But he has since restored his reputation as a coach, helping to save Parma from relegation before taking on the task of reviving the fortunes of Juventus.

That work is sufficiently well advanced to suggest Juve represent a real threat to the fledgling Hiddink revival but Ranieri can nevertheless anticipate a warm reception on his return to west London.

The Italian was kept on for Chelsea’s first season under the ownership of Roman Abramovich but, despite taking the club to the semi-finals of Champions League and securing second-spot behind unbeaten Arsenal in the Premier League, was pushed out to make way for Mourinho.

He can justifiably boast however of having forged the core of the Portuguese’s title-winning side having made John Terry captain as well as being responsible for bringing Lampard, Petr Cech, Joe Cole and (the now departed) William Gallas to the club.

“I didn’t win anything but the crowd knew very well that I built a good team,” Ranieri reflected recently. “Did I get enough credit? No. I wanted to finish my job but it was impossible.”

Ranieri insists his side should be regarded as underdogs. “I think Chelsea have improved with the change of coach – they’re quicker in and around the penalty area,” he said.

“We’re up against a team that lost the last Champions League by a single penalty, so we know we’re up against it, but we’ll go there and play with conviction.”

Juve will also travel with a squad that has been strengthened by a shortening of the club’s injury list. Hasan Salihamidzic, the Bosnian midfielder who was a Champions League winner with Bayern Munich in 2001, is in their squad for the first time this year while David Trezeguet scored on his first start of the season at the weekend.

Ranieri has the option of pairing the Frenchman with club captain Alessandro del Piero in attack but the Brazilian Amauri is seen as more likely to start.