Year of the Big Breakthrough: Claudio Ranieri

Once a maverick, now a genuine contender

Claudio Ranieri was asked recently whether rumours about Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink wanting to move to Barcelona were true. "Jimbo is not happy with me?" the Chelsea manager enquired in that inimitable style of his. "Are you sure?"

With that, the Italian leapt up and went to confront the Dutchman, who was in the training-ground canteen. Followed by a press entourage, Ranieri marched over to his striker and asked him what all the fuss was about. Caught completely unawares, Hasselbaink shrugged his shoulders in embarrassed silence. Manager then grabbed player and planted a jokey smacker on his forehead. "You see," Ranieri smiled as we all walked away, "I love Jimbo and Jimbo loves me. There is no problem." Not after that there wasn't.

It was pure Ranieri. A well-known Double-winning French manager would have dismissed the question, while an even more famous Treble-winning Scot would have dismissed the journalist who dared asked it. But not Chelsea's Italian. No topic is off limits and no player is untouchable. Some might interpret that canteen cameo as a maverick moment, but do not be fooled. Behind the wackiness, a highly intelligent and media-savvy professional is at work. It says much forRanieri's fire-fighting skills that there has been no talk of Hasselbaink joining Barcelona since that day.

In fact, Ranieri has managed to keep a lid on all his star players. Even the unsavoury stories involving two of his first- teamers at a west London club, as well as the subsequent lengthy trial, did not traumatise Chelsea in the way that a similar incident derailed Leeds United. Ranieri would certainly never have dreamed of writing a diary charting "his hellish times". Well, he could not. His English still leaves a lot to be desired, although he has turned this to his considerable advantage. Just as Arsène Wenger has trouble seeing anything controversial on the pitch, Ranieri always struggles to understand tricky questions. By the time the supposed googly has been explained and re-explained, the moment has usually passed.

There is, however, one increasingly frequent question which Ranieri cannot avoid: are Chelsea – at long last – realistic title contenders? "I want to say yes to you, but it is really not possible to be sure at this stage," he explains. "If we are in the top three in the spring, then we can do it. But first, we must stay focused over Christmas and New Year. Wait and see, but the signs are good. My players look hungry and are performing with a lot of passion and style. Most importantly, we are also finding consistency."

Consistency. For years, that was a word that did not feature in the Chelsea lexicon. Throughout the roller-coaster times of Ruud Gullit and Gianluca Vialli, the Blues could play scintillating football against Barcelona one week and then lose 2-0 away to Bradford the next. Those days are long gone. "In fact," Frank Lampard jokes, "we've almost gone full circle, because we beat the small teams but usually draw against the big guns. Maybe next year we'll get it right."

Lampard is being a little harsh on his team. True, they have not swept all before them, but Ranieri's men have shown that they are a force to be reckoned with. After all, it took an uncharacteristic error by the evergreen Gianfranco Zola in the League Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford on Tuesday to consign Chelsea to their first defeat in 12 games. They dominated that match for long periods and proved that the spine of the team is as solid as any in the division. For that, credit must go to Ranieri. It was the Italian who promoted Carlo Cudicini to No 1 goalkeeper, moved William Gallas into central defence, paired Emmanuel Petit with Frank Lampard at the heart of the midfield, and gave Zola a new lease of life.

Make no mistake: this is very much Ranieri's side now. "Before, people would say: 'Oh, this is Vialli's men' or whatever," the former Napoli, Fiorentina and Valencia manager says, "but today I can tell people these are Claudio's boys. That makes me proud.

"Proud but not arrogant. You know, I am not trying to do well for me. I do not want to be famous. What excites me is being in a new country, working with new players, and trying to build something special. We are getting there."

Fate, too, has played its part in the Chelsea transformation. Financial restrictions last summer meant that Ranieri could add only Enrique de Lucas on a free. As a result, the manager has been forced to curb his penchant for rotating players and making mass half-time substitutions. For the first time in years, a Chelsea manager can name his best starting XI. "I am happy with this group," Ranieri says. "I trust them and they trust me. That is why I will not buy anyone in January [when the transfer window reopens]. I want to give these guys the chance to prove how good they are."

A word of caution. While Chelsea are unquestionably doing better, appearances can be a little deceptive. With 34 points from their first 18 matches, the Blues are actually only four points better off than at the same stage last season. There have been fewer slip-ups against the smaller teams, but still too many draws (seven so far).

History suggests that a minimum of 78 points are needed to win the title, so Chelsea will have to improve on their first half of the campaign if they are to be champions for the first time since 1955. The one big advantage for Ranieri's troops is that this year's contest seems to be more open than ever. It is difficult to remember the last time Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool had lost 12 matches between them before Christmas, and yet were still in the running.

"This could be a close race to the finish," Ranieri says excitedly, before adding: "But I do not want to be obsessed with the title. I am happy as long as my players always give their last drop of..." Ranieri pauses. "Sweat?" "No, no, no," the Italian retorts. "Blood. To succeed, they must give blood."