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With a little luck Chelsea coach says Arsenal can win Champions LeaguePosted: Friday March 07, 2003 3:50 PMLONDON (Reuters) -- Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri believes that with a little bit of luck Arsenal can win the Champions League this season as the team continues its quest for the treble in a bid to emulate Manchester United's 1999 feat. United manager Alex Ferguson has criticized his Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger for overconfidence in predicting another premier league title, but Ranieri has made it clear he has nothing but respect for the Frenchman and his team. The Italian will be doing his utmost to foil its bid for another domestic double when he takes his side to Highbury for Saturday's eagerly-awaited FA Cup quarterfinal, but he is well aware Arsenal is on a different plane at the moment. "Everything Arsenal touch is gold," he said on Friday. "But I think they lack a little luck in the Champions League. "I have watched a lot of matches at Highbury. In the league they win, with a bit of luck sometimes. In the Champions League they draw, this is the little difference. "If they had a bit of luck they could win the Champions League. Don't misunderstand me, they are a great team, they are not lucky, but to win something like that you have to have it." Ranieri, who has tried and failed to close the gap on Arsenal and United in recent seasons, was unconcerned about the implications of a second successive double for Wenger's side. "The English league is a very interesting league, but I think now is the Arsenal period," he said. "When you are at the top everybody wants to beat you, it's nnormal, they are a great team "When you play against teams like Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle, the players are very focused against them. It is the same in every country." A few years ago the Italian carried real belief he could lift Chelsea to that higher level but a tightening of financial belts at the club has left him playing a different game. "There has been a change in strategy at Chelsea," he said. "When I arrived we were looking to pick up the best players in the world. Now our strategy is to reduce the salary, to pick up good young players and try to link them with experienced players. "Of course, everyone wants to win, but I am a coach. When the chairman told me of the change I tried to do my best." Wenger recognizes the difficulties Ranieri has faced, comparing them with his own when he first arrived at Highbury. "Like me he came from a foreign country and in those circumstances you have to work to be accepted," said the Frenchman. "Then you have to build a team and establish a team spirit. It can be a slow process. We live in an impatient world but I think Ranieri has shown great patience." He is likely to have to show some more on Saturday if his team fails, yet again, to give him his first win over Arsenal.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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