Claudio Ranieri has admitted he is still bitter
about his exit from Chelsea. Ranieri guided Juventus back into the
Champions League last season and is looking forward to steering the
Old Lady of Italian football back to the top of Serie A following
the match-fixing disgrace that saw them relegated two years
ago.
But Ranieri still feels some resentment over his treatment by
Chelsea, where he was sacked in 2004 to make way for Jose
Mourinho.
"Am I bitter? Yes," he said. "Before Roman Abramovich came to
Chelsea, I was doing my job. I carried on doing it for him and I
wanted to continue. "At the end I knew the players and supporters
were with me even if the club was not."
Mourinho will join Ranieri in Serie A this season following his
appointment as Inter Milan coach. It is an appointment Ranieri
welcomes, just as he is excited about the prospect of facing
Chelsea in the Champions League this season.
"I would love to play Chelsea," he said. "I want to take
Juventus to Stamford Bridge, not out of revenge or spite, but just
to show the fans and players, and the club, that this is what I do
now and this is the team I have built - on a budget."