Читать книгу Proud Man Walking - Claudio Ranieri - Страница 12

We had had to wait a couple of weeks for the resumption of the Premiership, but finding our concentration and the right level of determination was no problem at all, with Tottenham waiting for us. In fact, I soon learned from the fans during my first year in London that of the various derbies played in the course of a season, the biggest for the Blues is the one against Spurs. The atmosphere is awesome even to me, and I have been involved in some big local derbies too, in Rome as a player, and in Madrid as a coach. The great thing for us ‘non-English’ is to see how the fans can display passion, fervour and pride for their teams without it spilling over into violence. I know there was a problem during the 1970s and part of the 1980s, but now it has all but disappeared. As an Italian it is something I can only admire, and even envy in some measure, as things are very different back home. Obviously I do not want to point the finger at anyone in Italy, but really one has to applaud the police and the clubs for the work that they have done in this country, and the civilized behaviour of fans everywhere. It was so good to see supporters mingling outside and inside the stadium with their different coloured shirts and scarves, knowing that many of them travelled on the Underground and walked together from Fulham Broadway station with no quarrels and no problems.

The occasion was extraordinary not only for the atmosphere created by the supporters, but also for the brilliant sun shining down on London, ready to light up this big, big derby. We started off with a classic 4 – 4 – 2, with Petit in midfield and Mutu and Jimmy up front. I was especially happy at being able to give Manu a start for the first time after a long injury spell. For me, he is a world champion in the true sense of the word: unbelievable determination and leadership, and footballing skills that everyone has admired down the years. At the beginning of the season, when we sat down with Abramovich and the new management to discuss the individual players we already had in the squad, I explained at length just how important Petit was to our cause. A player who has the ability to be decisive in so many ways on the field, and whose return, even in a side full of medal winners, was of absolutely fundamental importance. To see him in the middle of the park in the biggest derby of the season was hugely satisfying for all of us.

After twenty minutes or so Tottenham went 1 – 0 up – Frederic Kanouté the scorer – and I decided straight away to change things around, playing three at the back with Melchiot alongside Terry and Desailly. I needed to restore the balance tactically. I knew even beforehand that with Hoddle normally playing a back line of three and a playmaker (Jamie Redknapp in this instance) between the defenders and the midfield, we might run into difficulty, but this is precisely the reason I often make changes during the course of a game. First I want to see if my team can adapt to situations as they arise on the pitch, then, if necessary, I make adjustments. It is a way of helping my players to develop, to show their tactical maturity, but obviously, getting the result must come first. Having found the right setup, and with the determination we had, I felt sure we could win the game. And indeed after just a few minutes we equalized, thanks to a nice collective effort rounded off with a header by Lampard from Gronkjaer’s cross. A few seconds later and we were ahead, Mutu scoring from an assist provided by the ever-dependable Duff. This is how a great team responds: forceful, showing character and determination but staying clear-headed. Another moment of significance for the season came in the second half, when I decided to bring on Makelele. He had been on the bench at the start, as I wanted him to get a good look at his new surroundings before taking part. Claude was the last player we had bought, but certainly not the least in terms of importance. He would be the balancing element in midfield. I have always believed that top teams should have a key midfielder playing deep. Besides being quick, Claude had the knack of always being on hand to help out his fellow players, and positioning himself in the right place at the right time. So, could I have picked a better match than the Chelsea-Tottenham derby to introduce him to the atmosphere of the English game?

Still echoing in our ears was the cry of ‘Muuuuu-tuuuuu …’ that always goes up when Adrian scores. Running onto a brilliant through ball from Joe Cole, he made the result completely safe. It ended 4 – 2, and this was a very important game in several ways. It was a good performance following the break, albeit with minimal preparation; the debut of Makelele; the ability to come from behind; the win; and some nice goals and assists.

There had been a few concerns certainly. These were early days with the new look Chelsea, but the players seemed to be putting themselves under pressure needlessly. It was irritating that we only seemed to get into our stride after going behind, and that having worked to put things right and opened up a two-goal lead, we then allowed our opponents to pull one back. The boys had to work on their concentration, and I said as much at the post-match press conference. But it was a win, and with three points in the bag I was not about to start losing sleep over things I knew we could put right.

It was good to have the memory of the derby win to take with us into that other big adventure we were about to embark on: the Champions League, now more than ever the competition everyone dreams of winning. Myself included, naturally. As a player I never even came close, but as a coach I knew that the European stage was the one of the best places to ‘discover’ a player or see particular game plans being put into practice.