Ranieri not worried by Chelsea slump

Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri is not worried about the slump in form that has threatened to derail the London club's premier…

Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri is not worried about the slump in form that has threatened to derail the London club's premier league challenge.

Chelsea suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat at home to Liverpool last night to slip seven points off the title pace set by champions Manchester United.

They have lost three and drawn one of their last six league games and were held to a 2-2 draw by first division Watford in the third round of the FA Cup.

But Ranieri is refusing to panic despite continued speculation linking England coach Sven Goran Eriksson with a move to Stamford Bridge.

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"I am not worried about this run. Of course, I am not happy but there isn't a team who can stay at the high level for 11 months," he said.

"When we were at the top of the league, I said it's not important now. We must continue to build. It's easy for me to say that I want to fight for the title but it's not true. I am fighting to build a team."

Ranieri met with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich immediately after last night's match but the Italian said this was "normal" procedure.