MILAN: Claudio Ranieri’s triumph with Leicester City in England has more than made amends for being sacked by Roma, according to the Italian’s 96-year-old mother.
“I’m sorry about how it finished for him at Roma: we’ve always been a big Roma-supporting family,” Renata Ranieri told La Repubblica newspaper on Wednesday.
“He took over (at Roma) when the season had already started. He didn’t earn the respect of his own city... and I’m disappointed it finished like that for him.
“But now, he’s the king of England and he’s getting compliments from all around the world.”
Ranieri went to Rome to have lunch with his elderly mother on the day Leicester clinched their historic Premier League title when Tottenham failed to beat his former club Chelsea on Monday.
It was only two hours, but it gave her 64-year-old son “time to relax” and reflect on an unforgettable season at the tail end of what has been a storied, and not always successful, career for the coach known as the “Tinkerman.”
Ranieri’s achievements with Leicester have resonated around the world, especially in his native Italy.
Sacked by Juventus before the end of the season in 2009, Ranieri was appointed Roma coach months later after Luciano Spalletti quit after two opening defeats.
It looked a dream appointment for the man who grew up supporting Roma while working as a butcher’s boy before embarking on a modest playing career.
But despite Roma going 24 games unbeaten, Ranieri’s popularity plummeted when they lost the title and the Italian Cup final to Jose Mourinho’s treble-winning Inter Milan.
After a 1-0 Cup final defeat to Inter, Mourinho mocked Ranieri for showing his players the ‘Gladiator’ film in a bid to inspire them to victory.
Defeat to Inter in the Italian Super Cup final the following season preceded a negative series of results and Ranieri quit Roma in February 2011.
Five years after the bittersweet experience, Ranieri’s coaching acumen is now being applauded around the world.
“I started crying at the end of game,” his mother said of Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham.
Although Ranieri was scheduled to be flying while Monday’s Premier League game was underway, the Italian reportedly watched the game live after Leicester president Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha laid on a private flight.
“I only heard from Claudio later on because I was busy taking calls from grandsons and cousins. He was very happy, like everyone was: now we can all relax,” added Renata.
Defying odds of 5,000-1 to prevail ahead of England’s glamor clubs in a way that turned Leicester’s unheralded players into household names, even Ranieri’s mother had doubts.
“I didn’t expect him to win, but the players he had under him are all good lads. It wasn’t a little team he was in charge of, but they trained like true professionals,” she said.
Considered a relative failure in Italy after being sacked by Inter and Juventus, Ranieri’s biggest achievement in his homeland was steering Fiorentina to the Serie B championship in 1994 and the Italian Cup and Super Cup two years later.
Ranieri’s appointment as Leicester manager followed a disastrous spell with Greece that raised the doubts of Leicester fans, including former Foxes striker Gary Lineker.
His mother added: “In England, he is in his element, they treat him perfectly and allowed him to get back on his feet. And I want to say thanks to them all.”
Ranieri is ‘King of England’, says mum
Ranieri is ‘King of England’, says mum
Inter continue Scudetto march after Champions League humbling
- Milan will be favorites to win at Cremonese in Sunday’s early fixture, with the local rivals set to face off next weekend in a match which will in all likelihood have little impact on the destination of the Scudetto
MILAN, Italy: Inter Milan bounced back from Champions League elimination with Saturday’s 2-0 win over Genoa which continued their march toward the Serie A title.
Federico Dimarco’s brilliant volley just after the half-hour mark and Hakan Calhanoglu’s second-half penalty were enough for Inter to extend their already huge lead over AC Milan at the top of the table to 13 points.
Milan will be favorites to win at Cremonese in Sunday’s early fixture, with the local rivals set to face off next weekend in a match which will in all likelihood have little impact on the destination of the Scudetto.
Inter, whose fans unloaded a collection of anti-Milan chants in anticipation of the derby, have dropped just two points in 15 league matches and have been a cut above the rest in Italy’s top flight this season.
Their domestic dominance comes in stark contrast to the humiliating manner in which they were dumped out of the Champions League by Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday night.
A 5-2 aggregate defeat to the Norwegian minnows cast doubts over not just the quality of Cristian Chivu’s team but of Italian football as a whole.
There was plenty of quality in Dimarco’s opener however, the Italy full-back beautifully placing a first-time finish from a tight angle after exchanging passes with Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Little else happened in a humdrum encounter until Alex Amorim handled a cross from Luis Henrique, whose shot had been tipped onto the post just moments before.
Calhanoglu calmly stroked home the spot-kick on his return to action following niggling muscle problems which have caused him issues since before Christmas, sealing the points for Inter.
Big Rom back
Romelu Lukaku kept Napoli on course for a Champions League spot with a last-gasp winner in the champions’ 2-1 victory over rock-bottom Verona, the Belgium forward’s first goal of the season.
Lukaku forced home Giovane’s cross to snatch the win for third-placed Napoli with the last kick of the game at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.
Napoli had looked like dropping points in northern Italy when Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro levelled Rasmus Hojlund’s early opener in the 65th minute.
But Lukaku, who only played his first game of the season in late January, gave Napoli a huge win with both Como and Atalanta pushing for a top-four placing.
“I was a dead player before coming here,” said Lukaku to DAZN.
“This season has been difficult, but we’ve got to aim high.”
Napoli’s title defense is all but over as they trail Inter by 14 points after an injury-ravaged season.
Napoli were missing key midfielders Scott McTominay, Kevin De Bruyne and Andre-Frank Anguissa on Saturday, as well as captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
Verona, under interim coach Paolo Sammarco following the sacking of Paolo Zanetti earlier this month, are 10 points from safety after a 12th straight match without a win.
Como, who face Inter in the first leg of the Italian Cup semifinals on Tuesday, strolled to 3-1 victory over strugglers Lecce to continue their push for a first-ever qualification for European football.
Cesc Fabregas’s team are two points behind Roma, in fourth and Juventus’ opponents on Sunday, and five behind Napoli.
Como are also two points ahead of sixth-placed Juve who face Roma trying to stay in touch with the Champions League places after being eliminated from Europe’s elite club competition by Galatasaray on Wednesday.
