Ranieri revels in adversity

By Mandeep Sanghera

The first thing Chelsea captain John Terry did when Wayne Bridge scored the winner against Arsenal was to glance across at manager Claudio Ranieri.

Report: Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea

Terry's gut reaction to look at his manager showed the affection the Chelsea players hold for Ranieri.

Another team-mate reckoned he saw tears swelling up in the eyes of the joyful Italian.

And even neutrals were moved by the sight of Ranieri pumping his arms in celebration.

Love or hate Chelsea, it was hard not to raise a smile at emotional Ranieri's sheer delight.

Ranieri led his team to an historic win under the most intense pressure and speculation over the future of his job.

And the timing could not have been better - it was the perfect moment to break the Arsenal hoodoo.

Chelsea had not beaten the Gunners in 17 previous attempts but won arguably the biggest match between the pair to reach the Champions League semi-final.

It was no more than the Chelsea manager deserved for the dignity and humour he has shown in the face of adversity.

Chelsea have failed to put a stop to rumours of a managerial change at the club in the summer, but Ranieri has soldiered on in the face of all the speculation.

And the support of his players has been unwavering.

I think the lads might feel a bit sorry for some of the stick he has got but he just says 'don't worry about it' Wayne Bridge on Ranieri

"I've said all along we are behind the boss," said Terry after Chelsea's victory over their London rivals.

"He has done a great job already so we will wait and see. The lads are behind him - I've said that before and I'm not going to repeat myself.

"He is an emotional man and he has done a fantastic job here at Chelsea. He has brought some great players and he has got the lads together and that is vital."

England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has admitted to talks with Chelsea while Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld claimed to have been approached by the Stamford Bridge club.

But through it all Ranieri has maintained his focus and nurtured a strong resolve in his players.

"Claudio has talked about it and he says it is worse in Italy so this is easy for him," matchwinner Bridge told BBC Sport.

"He says 'don't worry about it'. I think the lads might feel a bit sorry for some of the stick he has got but he just says to get on with our games and not to worry about it.

"He is good with the players. He is always chatting to them.

"He'll chat to you individually and you can just see the emotion on his face when we win."

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Frank Lampard, who scored Chelsea's equaliser at Highbury, also praised Ranieri's resolve.

"The manager is a good man," he said. "We all know that and he deserves a lot of credit for the way he has handled the players and everything this season with all the speculation."

As the season enters the final straight, Chelsea are in contention for the Champions League and just four points behind Arsenal in the Premiership.

Ranieri's position has not become any clearer and question marks still hang over his future.

But with Real Madrid stunned by Monaco in the other quarter-final, Chelsea have a very real chance of reaching the final.

And would Chelsea dare sack Ranieri if he brought home the biggest prize in Europe?