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."