Source: Telegraph
Chelsea's Frank Lampard looks forward to Claudio Ranieri return
"I love the man," said Lampard, "If it wasn't for Claudio I might not be where I am now."[LNB]According to Lampard, it was also Ranieri, and not Jose Mourinho, who first introduced him to modern training methods.[LNB]"He brought me to the club, improved my game and showed me another side to the game," said Lampard. "As a West Ham boy I was contract minded and didn't know the continental style and the way to live my life. He brought me here and showed me those ways and I've got nothing but thanks for him for the way he helped my career. He made John [Terry] captain at a young age, signed [William] Gallas and bought Petr Cech at the end.[LNB]"He took us to the Champions League semi-final and was a huge part of what we went on to achieve. No one's got a bad word to say about him around the place."[LNB]Guus Hiddink is Chelsea's fifth different manager under Roman Abramovich, yet there were certainly signs during Saturday's 1-0 win against Aston Villa of the resilience that characterised Mourinho's reign at Stamford Bridge.[LNB]"This was a little bit of the old Chelsea, the old spirit," said Lampard. "You could see the commitment, the never-say-die attitude. Scoring early and closing out the game was like being back to our old selves. We were well organised, higher up the pitch and wanted to move the ball a bit quicker than we had been.[LNB]"It was a big lift ahead of Juventus. We will need to keep the ball and move it quickly as Italian teams can get men behind the ball and make things very frustrating.[LNB]"As players we've not been performing to the level we should have been. The new manager coming in has given everyone a bit of a boost. He's got a certain aura about him. The best coaches I've worked with have a sense of fear about them."[LNB]Despite all the suggestions of dressing-room division, Hiddink said that he had arrived at Chelsea with an open mind. "I tried to come in blanco," he said. "I try to smell and make my own conclusions. Some stories I have been told might be true, but some might not be. I don't want to be informed too much.[LNB]"[Success is] that Chelsea's fans recognise themselves in the way we play. And if you play like this, and improving, then success for this club is when you are still involved with everything in the month of May."[LNB] [LNB]
