Chelsea coach Claudio Ranieri has described his Argentinian striker Hernan Crespo as a great professional and denied criticising the player following his injury against Liverpool last Wednesday.

Ranieri, whose English can be shaky at times, said he was misquoted by newspapers. The confusion arose from the Italian coach misunderstanding a question during an interview with Chelsea TV, the club said on its Web site.

He believed the questioner had asked whether he felt Crespo was "an professional", not "unprofessional".

"I never said that Hernan was unprofessional. I never used such a word. No, I was saying the opposite -- really. Hernan Crespo is a great professional," the Web site quoted Ranieri as saying on Saturday.

The Argentine had felt a twinge in his calf during training earlier in the week, but believed he was fine on Wednesday. He pulled up 10 minutes into the Premier League game, which Chelsea went on to lose 1-0, and is likely to be out of action for a month.