Ranieri puts his bosses in a fix

The Swede turned Chelsea down but the episode, after weeks of speculation about other possible candidates, left a sour taste at Stamford Bridge and increased sympathy for Ranieri.

During the home 1-1 first leg against Arsenal a fortnight ago, fans chanted the Italian’s name and waved banners demanding he be left alone.

Newspapers, who earlier had mocked Ranieri for his idiosyncratic English and criticised his squad rotation, have united in support of him, describing Chelsea’s treatment of him as shabby.

London’s Evening Standard even launched a backpage campaign ‘‘Save Ranieri for London’’.

Ranieri has won friends for his dignity and humour in the midst of the fevered rumours. He is not one publicly to criticise referees, opposing coaches or his own bosses.

‘‘Can you still sack him now Roman?’’ trumpeted Wednesday’s Daily Mirror, while Matt Dickinson in The Times asked: ‘‘What odds the sack for Ranieri this morning? Longer, one suspects, than his chances of reaching the European Cup final in Gelsenkirchen on May 26.’’

A semi-final against Monaco stands in Ranieri’s path to Germany. It is the players, though, whose solidarity with their boss has been most marked. ‘‘All the players want him to stay because he is good for us’’, wing back Wayne Bridge — who scored the 87th minute winner on Tuesday — said. ‘‘All the pressure that we have been under he takes on himself. He tells us not to worry because it is worse in Italy.’’