Ranieri unhappy at Crespo’s call
Crespo had not played over Christmas due to an illness but it was actually a calf injury that was threatening his participation in Wednesday night's crucial Premiership clash against Gerard Houllier's side.
The Argentina international nevertheless assured Ranieri there were no doubts over his fitness ahead of kick-off only to break down after just 12 minutes.
Eidur Gudjohnsen replaced him in the attack alongside Adrian Mutu but, with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink not even on the bench, Chelsea were left short of attacking options in the final stages of the game as they chased an equaliser.
The defeat, which was the Blues' third in five league games, left them seven points behind leaders Manchester United and the effect on confidence levels could be significant.
It was no wonder, therefore, that Ranieri was frustrated at Crespo's apparent lack of judgement or caution in pronouncing himself fit to face Liverpool.
The Chelsea boss declared: "I'm very sad about Crespo because, on Tuesday, I gave him a day's rest after he had told me that his calf was not right.
"On the day of the game, I spoke with him and he said he was okay. I said 'look Hernan, I don't want to lose you for a long period, so if you aren't ready yet, I will give you a rest'.
"But he said that he was ready to play. Then, after just 12 minutes, he was injured."
Asked if Crespo's fitness pledge had been unprofessional, Ranieri appeared to agree before adding: "The guy wanted to play and he was sure that he would stay in the right condition. Of course, it is frustrating though."
The irony is that Crespo had reassured Chelsea fans on the eve of last night's game that his best for the club was yet to come as he would embark on a scoring spree.
Just to make matters worse, however, while Crespo is now ruled out for a few weeks with his calf injury, Ranieri has a further worry over Mutu's continuing goal drought.
Having hit the bar and also being denied by substitute keeper Patrice Luzi against Liverpool, the Romania international has now gone 13 games without a goal in complete contrast to the sparkling start to his Chelsea career.
Ranieri nevertheless insisted: "I'm pleased with his performances as he is working hard. All strikers have good moments and bad moments.
"He is playing very well but he's a striker and he wants to score. I just said to him not to think about it too much, just to continue to play well."
With Geremi and Celestine Babayaro soon set to leave for the African Nations' Cup finals, what Chelsea really need is the boost of either a major new signing or the return of Damien Duff from injury.
The Republic of Ireland international promised fans outside Stamford Bridge that his return would not be too far away as he recovers from a dislocated shoulder.
Physio Mike Banks also told Chelsea TV: "He is doing really well. He was out training this week and once he gets going, he looks totally uninhibited.
"We're now two-and-a-half weeks down the line and he's running around very well. The next step will be no contact for a few days and we'll see how he copes and then we'll try him with contact.
"We're all hopeful and he seems relatively confident so we just have to keep our fingers crossed and see how we go."
As for Juan Sebastian Veron, who has also been sidelined by injury, Banks added: "He's now running and using the ball so we're quite hopeful of a relatively early return for him as well."
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