Claudio Ranieri has spoken for the first time in his third spell as Roma’s head coach and his main message at his press conference was one of unity.
Ranieri was unveiled to the media after being appointed as Roma’s boss for the rest of the season, coming out of retirement to guide his hometown club – and he was in fine form in front of the press.
For a club that has been lacking strong communication recently, Ranieri – also with the faintest of eyes on his future role as a director and advisor to the club – immediately made the right impression again and set Roma back on the right path, at least off the field for now.
Here are some takeaways from Ranieri’s reintroduction to Roma.
Inspiring unity
Embed from Getty ImagesThere is a sense that Ranieri has been chosen partially to reinforce the crumbling bridge between the owners and the fans – and his prevailing message was one that called for unity.
From the off, Ranieri made it clear that he wants the booing of Roma’s own players by their own fans to stop – even offering to take the heat himself if the Curva Sud had to express their negative opinions.
“As a former player myself, as a sports lover, I can tell you that playing at home with your own fans booing you is the hardest thing in the world. Because when you play away and the fans boo you, it fires you up. But your own fans… and they were rightly unhappy,” he said, before later adding: “I want the team and the fans to be united. We’re all one family.”
He reiterated: “We mustn’t boo them. We have to help them. We mustn’t boo anyone. Do it after the final whistle. I’ll come over to the crowd after the game and you can boo me. But don’t do it during the match.”
It was also noticeable that Ranieri sometimes stepped in after questions directed at Florent Ghisolfi, in another attempt to bear the responsibility for the situation and take control of it, excellently interpreting how to show some authority.
No fixed formation plans
That’s all well and good, but all Roma fans knew what a pleasant character Ranieri is. What may be of more interest to them is how he inspires the team to play on the pitch.
Roma have used a back three for the most part since Ranieri’s previous spell, save for some attempts by Paulo Fonseca and Jose Mourinho to line up with a back four – to varying effect.
And for Ranieri, the best players available to him will be the influence of how Roma set up, rather than a fixed formation he wants to play.
He admitted: “If I was to say, ‘I’m going to play this way or that way,’ I wouldn’t be honest with myself, let alone with you or the fans. First I have to see what form everyone is in, then I’ll decide whether to play with three, four, or five.
“It’s not about the formation; it’s about the players. It’s about having players who want to spit blood, even when things aren’t going well. I don’t want them to let up for a second.”
Restoring natural defensive options
But one player Ranieri already seems to have a strong perception about is Angelino, who started the season as one of Roma’s better players but has suffered since having to play in a back three.
Ranieri was asked if he could “promise” that Angelino wouldn’t play as a centre-back again, and he replied affirmatively, meaning Roma will actually use their best full-back as a full-back.
And that could open the door for Mats Hummels to finally play more at centre-back, with Ranieri openly wondering why a player of his quality hasn’t been able to play more since his arrival in September.
“I watched some of his games. I saw the final against Real Madrid and other games and I thought, ‘Why can’t this guy play?’ We’ll see. I want to pick the players who can win games for me.”
Maximising Dybala usage
One of the big topics of the season has been Paulo Dybala, first because it seemed like he was leaving for Saudi Arabia, and since then because he hasn’t been able to flourish often on the pitch – with some concerns about whether the club were preventing him from playing enough to activate his contract extension.
Fortunately, Ranieri is having none of it. Citing an example of a previous time he used a player against his president’s instructions and clarifying that the Dybala case was one of the first topics he brought up with the Friedkins, Ranieri went on to emphasise how La Joya is a player “in a different category” and a difference maker.
And he is eager to maximise what the sometimes-fragile forward can produce on the pitch.
“For me, he could play 90 minutes of every game,” Ranieri said. “Can he do it? I doubt it. But if he’s up to it, I’m not going to take him off.”
Hard work as a necessity
While Ranieri’s words may be comforting, the reality is that he has to lift Roma up from the bottom half of the table.
As he acknowledges, the pressure has been on the players to an unprecedented scale recently. And while his reputation is that of a gentle figure, Ranieri laid down the law regarding what level of hard work he expects.
“80% at Roma isn’t enough. The players at Roma have to give 120%. One way or another. Otherwise they stay off the pitch.”
The message is clear and the players will now have to respond with their actions. They will not be getting away with it.
Totti and De Rossi acknowledgement
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was inevitable that, bearing in mind Ranieri’s future responsibilities, the topic of more Roma legends coming back would come up. Ranieri was asked about two of his former players, Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi – the latter being the man who started this season in his position as Roma’s head coach.
While cautious to create headlines, Ranieri left the door open for either of them to have a role in the future Roma he helps construct.
“I wouldn’t rule anything out, to be honest,” he said regarding Totti. “Obviously right now the priority is to get the team back up where it should be but I’m sure we’ll talk to Francesco. Why not? If he can give us a hand… We’ll see what he can do for us. We’re not excluding anything. I don’t exclude anything. But that doesn’t mean ‘Totti is coming back to Roma’. Because I know what your journalists are like with your headlines. Please be honest.”
As for De Rossi, who the Friedkins have suggested could become Roma’s coach again in the future – but affirmatively not in the short term – Ranieri confirmed he had spoken with him recently, but he is focused on his own duties on the bench for now.
“That’s a great question,” he replied when asked of a potential future in which he would choose De Rossi to be Roma’s coach again. “For now I’ve been placed in charge of the team so I’m focused on that. I don’t want to lead anyone on. We’ll see. That’s not something I spoke about with the Friedkins.”
A bridge with the Friedkins
One of the main criticisms of the Friedkins recently – and indeed, even before when their popularity was higher – has been their lack of communcation.
And yet Ranieri was able to cut under the surface and reveal how hardly the owners have taken the slump in Roma’s fortunes that many attribute to their handling of the club.
Ranieri said he was left “speechless” by how president Dan Friedkin shared Roma’s current situation with him. Cynics might say it was how it was designed from above, but perhaps he can be a link between the owners and the fans, which can help generate more understanding and – going back to that initial theme of unity – get people pulling in the same direction.
Restoring a sense of calm
Was it the tone of his voice? His measured words? Or simply the reassuring nature of a familiar figure?
Whatever the reason, Ranieri seems to have started to lift the sense of dread around Roma in favour of a sense of calmness.
It has been a turbulent few months to say the least, but with a balanced and wise man at the helm such as himself, a degree of trust can start building back up.
Restored to his rightful home
It was well documented that Ranieri retired in the summer, but he has obviously been talked back into it, for the closing of a cycle.
He began his press conference by clarifying his return to the game, and there is no doubt about his belonging to the club he will actually be ending his career with.
“I received more job offers in the last few months than I did after winning the Premier League with Leicester,” he surprisingly revealed. “It’s incredible but true. And I always said no. I said there were only two circumstances in which I might coach again: either at Roma or at Cagliari. But I fully believed that I’d be watching football from the other side. Destiny decided that I should ‘come home’. When I rejoined Cagliari, I said that I’d started my career at Cagliari and I would end it at Cagliari. However, clearly destiny had decided that Roma is where I began my playing career and where I should finish my coaching career and end up as a director.”
In safe hands for the future
For too long, Roma have lacked people with genuine footballing knowledge – and specifically to the club and city itself – making their major decisions, but Ranieri’s future involvement as a director will be a step in the right direction if he is allowed to be vocal like this.
Ranieri understands Roma more than anyone else at the club right now. He was a fan, a player and a coach twice before. Even in his 70s, he still speaks with a gravity that shows how he needs to be close to the game and particularly this club.
Let’s see what he can achieve on the touchline one last time. He has a big challenge ahead of him. But there are the seeds of a plan in place now for the future. Ranieri can be an exceptional guide for Roma and he is already speaking with the kind of seniority of someone who can balance his coaching duties and his future responsibilities as a director.
But he was keen to stress his full focus now is on the dugout, eager to ensure the season is not a write off. He is focused on the task at hand, at Roma’s service once again.
You can read Ranieri’s questions and answers in full here.
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