Ranieri was in no doubt as to who Chelsea’s victory against Blackburn was down to - his fellow Italian Zola.
Ranieri said: “He is “Gianfranco the Younger”. He has a mentality, a passion and a heart for the game, he wants to play well.
“He has got a good feeling with the crowd and when he arrived for pre-season, he had already had a 'pre-season' at home. He arrived ready to play.
“His second goal was a great finish, but all my players believed this victory was possible. When we were 2-1 down at half-time in the dressing room the guys all believed in the possibility of victory.'”
Ranieri added: 'It was very difficult for us because Blackburn are a good team and play good football, touch and move, they are very dangerous going forward.
“But we are also in good condition and our mentality is to try to win.”