Ranieri reckons Conte will succeed at Chelsea

Image
AFP London
Last Updated : May 15 2016 | 10:28 AM IST
Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri believes Chelsea will be a revitalised force under his fellow Italian boss Antonio Conte.
Former Chelsea manager Ranieri takes his current side to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with Leicester having dethroned the Stamford Bridge club as Premier League champions, having once been 5000/1 colossal outsiders for the title.
Chelsea will kick-off against Leicester a huge 31 points behind the new champions.
It has been a season of upheaval for the west London club, who sacked former manager Jose Mourinho in December and then brought in Guus Hiddink for the Dutchman's second spell in caretaker charge.
Sunday's match will mark the end of Hiddink's current Chelsea stint, with Italy manager Conte arriving at Stamford Bridge once his country's Euro 2016 campaign in France is finished.
Chelsea are an unusually low ninth in the table but Ranieri believes it won't be long before they are challenging for the title again, with Conte having won three Serie A crowns in Italy when in charge of Juventus.
"He is a tough man, it is hard for him to change because he will make a little revolution there," said Ranieri.
"I am waiting for it, I await the revolution when he arrives. He changes everything. He is very concentrated in his job, the little things. He wants to care for everything, nutrition, everything."
Ranieri managed Chelsea between 2000 and 2004, before being replaced by Mourinho. Before kick-off, Chelsea are expected to line-up to give the new champions a guard of honour, but Ranieri said the honour was for Leicester's players, not him.
"I will stay in the dugout. I can say thank you to the fans but it is for my players."
Leicester hold their title parade on Monday and then fly to Thailand, the home nation of the club's owners, on a goodwill trip on Tuesday.
The Foxes will return for pre-season in July and then they will be involved in the International Champions Cup.
Leicester travel to Glasgow to play Celtic on July 23 before heading to Los Angeles for a match against Paris Saint-Germain a week later.
They round off the competition against Spanish champions Barcelona in Stockholm on August 3, in what Ranieri hopes will be useful preparation ahead of Leicester's inaugural Champions League campaign.
"The pre-season is more or less the same, apart from changing the names of the opponent," he said.
"It's good experience for my players but it's important to feel and understand the difference. It's important to play against these teams.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: May 15 2016 | 10:28 AM IST

Next Story