Claudio Ranieri is the new AS Roma manager, signing a contract that keeps him in charge until the end of the season. Roma had sacked Eusebio Di Francesco on Thursday after their Champions League exit. Meanwhile, Ranieri is back in management just eight days after his dismissal as Fulham’s coach.
Claudio Ranieri is New Roma Manager
No Place Like Rome
Ranieri was born in Rome and briefly played for his Roma in the 1973/4 season. Furthermore, he was boss at his childhood club between 2009-11. He brought a lot of promise to Roma then, with an unbeaten streak of 24 matches at the top of Serie A. However, under his guidance, Roma not only squandered the league title, but also the Coppa Italia. He clashed with the emblematic Francesco Totti and eventually resigned after a poor run of results in the second season.
Experience
Whether in the English Premier League, Seria A, La Liga and even Ligue 1, Ranieri is a truly international manager. He has experience across all these leagues, and has been relatively successful – arguably no more successful than his Premier League title won with Leicester City in 2015/16. This was a side with few resources, and thus he presented with a massive challenge in managing to win such a title. After all, the Premier League is one of the most lucrative leagues.
Pivotal
The board’s sacking of Di Francesco comes at a hugely pivotal point of the season. Roma currently sit in the Europa League qualification basket in fifth place. However, they are three points away from matching Inter Milan’s points total, but also just three points away from slipping to eighth. Ranieri has been known as the ‘Tinkerman’ in the past for constantly adjusting and adapting tactics. However, at this point in the season, Ranieri must quickly find an effective stopgap to grind out the results needed to push for a Champions League spot.
Ranieri has plenty of Champions League experience, taking Chelsea to the semi-finals, but also managing Juventus, Inter Milan and Valencia in achieving qualification and competition within the competition. At these clubs, he has had varying fortunes. Nevertheless, he is a manager of great experience who can help set Roma back on track.
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