Blues Saux Sensational

Last updated : 22 November 2003 By Rich Godden
Sauxy went to Southampton this summer as part of the deal that saw us sign Wayne Bridge. And he thinks that it was the right decision for him at this stage of his career. Even though he thinks we will win the league this year...

Sauxy told the Sun: If Chelsea can maintain their form — and ride out the inevitable bad spell that every club goes through — then they have a good chance to win the title.

“I’ve watched them on TV since I left and it’s great that there are now three teams fighting for the top spot — not just Manchester United and Arsenal.”

“I don’t have any regrets about the decision I made. If I had doubts I would not have left. It’s important at this stage of my career that I play in an environment that suits me better.

“I think it’s healthier for players who are doing well to play regularly rather than being rested. Players rely on momentum and clubs rely on teams that pick themselves.

“Things have happened so quickly at Chelsea that it will be interesting to see how the situation develops. They have such a huge anount of talent throughout the team.

“There are players who were known last year who are not even on the bench any more. And the level of expectation at Chelsea is huge. It’s not about spending huge amounts on a player, it’s getting the best out of them.

“Their manager Claudio Ranieri is very disciplined in what he tries to achieve and has a strict fitness regime. He’s always had players under his stewardship that know the game well. And he has never really had to coach people who have to learn new methods.

“So it’s a case of trying to get a team to gel and work together.

“The Blues weren’t too far off last season, so you would expect the amount of money injected so far to be the catalyst for Chelsea to achieve something.

“People try and make comparisons with them and Blackburn but the circumstances were different. The team had players who had come through the ranks and I only cost £600,000.

“Things didn’t happen overnight and the team took longer to build than Chelsea.”

I hope Sauxy gets the recpetion he deserves when he runs out at St Mary's today. What a legend!