Claudio Ranieri must tinker with this Fulham side – but fixture pile-up makes task tricky

You have to wonder what those who have criticised Maurizio Sarri for playing N’Golo Kante out of position thought of Claudio Ranieri as he lined up with a centre-back in right midfield and a left wing-back at centre-forward.

All the talk before this game was that Ranieri must make Fulham harder to beat, that his focus must be on drilling defensive shape and organisation.

The Cottagers had picked up just a single point on the road this season and conceded 33 goals in 13 games so you could understand the Italian’s desire to set up defensively with a flat back four and three sitting in midfield.

But with Calum Chambers and Ryan Sessegnon looking hopelessly out of position, the result was a mess.

Chelsea on top early on

Marcos Alonso enjoyed acres of space in behind Chambers and Eden Hazard was given far too much freedom to roam between the lines.

Ironically, it was neither of those two who created Chelsea’s early opener but Kante himself. The Frenchman dispossessed a dawdling Jean Michael Seri in midfield and laid it on a plate for Pedro to slot home.

It was the low point in a poor afternoon for Seri, a man once linked with Barcelona but, based on Sunday’s performance, one who would look more at home in the National League than the Camp Nou.

Whatever Ranieri has been up to on the training ground in the past fortnight did not pay off in the first half. Fulham made it far too easy for Chelsea who Sarri would later admit were “nervous” following their first defeat of the season last weekend against Tottenham.

Tinkering pays off

Ranieri was clearly frustrated with his side and gesticulated wildly on the sideline. He may still struggle to express himself fluently in English but he certainly looks like he knows how to swear in Italian.

With the Blues 1-0 up but looking like they could soon make it two, three or four, the Tinkerman tinkered: Sessegnon dropped onto the right-wing with Stefan Johansen pushed further left.

When half-time came, those two were replaced with the lively pair of Aboubakar Kamara and Floyd Ayite.

Fulham switched to a 4-4-1-1 that was reminiscent of Ranieri’s title-winning Leicester and looked much more comfortable with it – if only they had the pace and goalscoring ability of Jamie Vardy up front.

Chambers impresses after shaky start

Chambers excelled in a more central position and drew two fine saves from Kepa Arrizabalaga as well as praise from his manager after the final whistle.

“For me he is a good midfielder because he understands what I want. He moves the ball quickly,” Ranieri said.

It was another young Englishman – Ruben Loftus-Cheek – who eventually doubled Chelsea’s lead in the 82nd minute as Fulham chased an equaliser. The visitors can feel unlucky to not have taken more from the game but Ranieri was nevertheless pleased with his afternoon’s work.

“At the beginning we gave them a present,” Ranieri said of Pedro’s opener.

“But I am satisfied. Not with the result but with how we reacted. With the two wingers we made problems for them.

“I think we played much better today than the Southampton match and we have to continue [improving] this way.”

Unity

Ranieri brings with him a mantra of unity – on and off the pitch. The Italian and his coaching staff reportedly made their way around every department at Fulham on his first day to make a formal introduction to every member of staff, from the cleaners to the kitman.

They will need plenty of that team spirit and more if they are to drag themselves out of the relegation dogfight.

Fulham started and finished the day rock-bottom of the Premier League table, not that you would know it judging by the mood of their boisterous support at the final whistle as they cheered their side off.

Can Ranieri pull off a ‘miracle’?

Ranieri has warned fans not to “think about the miracle” but with a man in charge who won the title with a back four of Danny Simpson, Wes Morgan, Robert Huth and Christian Fuchs you can hardly blame them for having belief.

“We can win, we can lose, but I want to see our philosophy,” Ranieri added.

“My players have to understand my philosophy because I like to play very fast.

“Now we think about the next match.”

Now his challenge will be drilling that same “philosophy” as well as a bit more organisation and belief into his new players as he did at Leicester.

With games coming thick and fast in the festive period – Fulham have seven matches in the next 30 days, including Leicester themselves on Wednesday night – his task will not be easy.