Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri has changed his style since his days at Chelsea, says Scott Parker

Scott Parker thinks Claudio Ranieri has changed his management style since leaving Chelsea in 2004, saying the Italian manager is much more predictable than during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Ranieri was nicknamed the Tinkerman during his four seasons with the Blues for his constant squad rotation but at Leicester he has been the complete opposite, making just 27 changes to his starting XI this season in the Premier League.

And while Parker, who was signed for Chelsea by Ranieri in January 2004, can see similarities in Ranieri from their time together in west London, there has been one significant change.

Speaking on MNF, before Chelsea's clash with Tottenham, Parker said: "Things don't differ too much [from Ranieri's time at Chelsea].

"When I signed for Chelsea in 2004 under Claudio, it was very much 4-4-2. He had simple rules.

"The one thing that probably did change when I first went there was that he was very unpredictable. He was a manager for me that you never quite knew where you were. Whether you won 4-0, next week you might not be in the side. Whether you were playing well or not he'd bring you off. You never quite understood where he was [coming from].

"To be fair, he's probably come full circle in the way he is now and he has become more predictable," the former Chelsea midfielder added.

"Whether the squad he has now allows him to be like that, we can now sometimes tell you what substitution he is going to make at certain points in games."

Ranieri has become a favourite of the media this season with his way with words in his press conferences.

From 'Dilly-ding, dilly-dong!' to buying his players pizza for a clean sheet, Ranieri has kept everyone smiling with his outbursts. But behind it all, Parker says there is an inner steel in the 64-year-old.

"Behind all the fun with the media, there is steel there," the former Chelsea midfielder said.

"He had a big squad [at Chelsea] with big characters and he managed that squad really well.

"He can make hard calls if he needs to and can be tough."