Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri admitted he had suffered ”30 seconds of delirium” after watching Wayne Bridge fire his side into the Champions League semifinals with a dramatic late winner against Arsenal on Tuesday.
”I’m a pragmatic man, so to describe my joy is very difficult,” he said. ”I was mad, in delirium for 30 seconds. I just wanted to go with my players.”
Ranieri, whose position as manager at Stamford Bridge has been under threat all season, refused to comment on recent reports saying he could finally be asked to stay on next season.
But his description of how the club’s billionaire owner, Roman Abramovich, joined in the celebrations after Bridge had secured a 2-1 victory was perhaps telling.
”He was mad like me,” Ranieri said. ”Everybody was crazy in the dressing room. It’s history for Chelsea.”
Ranieri was even able to joke about the headlines that had labelled him a ”dead man walking” as Chelsea unsuccessfully attempted to persuade England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson to take his job.
”It is difficult to kill me. I continue to walk but I don’t stand still.”
Ranieri had reason to feel satisfied. His decision to leave £30-million of forward talent on the bench (Hernan Crespo and Adrian Mutu) and start with Eidur Gudjohnsen up front paid off as the Icelandic striker had a hand in both Chelsea’s goals.
The first, a Frank Lampard rebound after Jens Lehmann spilled Claude Makelele’s drive, cancelled out Jose Antonio Reyes’s opener for Arsenal and laid the foundations for Bridge’s late strike after a neat one-two with Gudjohnsen.
Ranieri also got his tactics in the match correct, pulling off Scott Parker at half-time to introduce Jesper Gronkjaer and ensure Ashley Cole was pinned back in his own half rather than creating chaos in Chelsea’s.
The win has put Chelsea into an eminently winnable semifinal against Monaco and Ranieri believes Arsenal could still be vulnerable in the league, particularly with tough matches against Liverpool and Newcastle over the upcoming Easter weekend.
”I think now I must touch [wood] before I speak but I think this victory can change something for us. We must believe in ourselves more than before,” Ranieri said.
The Italian insisted, however, that Chelsea will not take a place in the final for granted.
”I know Real Madrid very, very well, and if Monaco won it is because they are a good team with good players and a good coach.”
Ranieri’s joy found its mirror image in a despondent Arsene Wenger, who admitted Saturday’s FA Cup semifinal defeat at the hands of Manchester United had taken more out of his side than he had been prepared to admit in the aftermath of that match.
”It is a big blow when you lose a long unbeaten run. Once you hit the wall it takes time to bounce back.
”Now though it is a good test for us, a chance to show how strong we are mentally.”
Although Arsenal are four points clear in the Premiership with a game in hand over their nearest rivals, Chelsea, Wenger was prepared to admit that the possibility of that lead slipping away is real.
”There is a possibility there because we are far from winning the Premiership.”
Much will depend inevitably on how Arsenal react to blowing what Wenger admitted was a golden opportunity for European glory.
”I think it is the most disappointing setback we have had in Europe because you play Monaco and have a very good chance to go to the final.”
Just how disappointing is underlined by Wenger’s assessment of the semifinal chances: ”If you ask me, it’s 80-20, for Chelsea.” — Sapa-AFP