The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Claudio Ranieri

  • Roma face Porto in Europa League play-offs

    Roma face Porto in Europa League play-offs

    Former winners Porto have been  drawn  to face Claudio Ranieri’s Roma in the standout tie of the Europa League knockout phase play-offs, while Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were among the clubs to discover their potential opponents in the last 16.

    Porto, who won the Europa League in 2011 as well as its predecessor, the UEFA Cup, in 2003, will be at home in the first leg on February 13 with the return in Italy a week later.

    Other notable play-off round ties will see Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce come up against Anderlecht and Ajax play close neighbours Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium.

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    The eight winners from the play-off round will go through to the last 16, where they will join the top eight teams from the league phase.

    Lazio finished on top of the standings, just ahead of Athletic Bilbao, with United and Spurs coming third and fourth respectively.

  • Ranieri takes over struggling Roma

    Ranieri takes over struggling Roma

    Italian coach Claudio Ranieri has come out of retirement at the age of 73 to take charge of AS Roma until the end of the season, the Serie A club announced, days after sacking Croatian Ivan Juric.

    “AS Roma is pleased to announce that Claudio Ranieri is the new Technical Manager of the First Team,” Roma said in a statement on Thursday.

    “At the end of the season he will take on a senior managerial role, he will be an advisor to the ownership for all sporting matters of the club.

    “The search for a new coach will continue in the coming months and Claudio will also have a say in this decision.”

    Ranieri retired in May , calling time on a career in which he famously led Leicester City to a shock Premier League title in 2016 and coached a host of teams from Europe’s top leagues including Chelsea, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Monaco.

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    Ranieri, who last coached Cagliari in Serie A, was born in Rome and returns to the club where he began his playing career in 1973.

    It is his third stint in charge of Roma, with whom he came agonisingly close to winning the Serie A title in his first spell between 2009 and 2011.

    Ranieri replaces Juric, who was sacked after Roma lost 3-2 at home against Bologna on Sunday, leaving them languishing in 12th place in the Serie A standings.

    Juric was Roma’s second coach to be fired this season, with Daniele De Rossi being sacked in September.

    According to reports in Italian media, Roma found it difficult to sign a replacement for Juric before settling on Ranieri, with former Italy coach Roberto Mancini and Maurizio Sarri among the preferred candidates.

    Roma’s next game, after the international break, will be away to league leaders Napoli.

  • Ranieri’s problems mount as Napoli whip Roma 4-1

    Napoli ripped AS Roma’s defence to shreds as they handed the hosts an embarrassing 4-1 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico in Serie A on Sunday.

    The defeat piled on the problems for recently-appointed coach Claudio Ranieri.

    Roma began the game in fifth place with a chance to move within a point of fourth-placed AC Milan, who lost 1-0 at Sampdoria on Saturday.

    But, instead, they dropped to sixth after Atalanta won 3-1 at Parma to overtake them.

    Arkadiusz Milik put Napoli ahead after two minutes, cleverly controlling Simone Verdi’s chipped pass with his heel and then swiveling to fire past Robin Olsen.

    Having dominated the first half, with another Milik goal chalked off for offside, Napoli were pegged back in stoppage time when Patrik Schick was fouled by goalkeeper Alex Meret.

    Diego Perotti slotted home the penalty kick.

    Yet Roma were left reeling by two quick goals after the break as they slumped to a second defeat in Ranieri’s three games in charge.

    Jose Callejon’s low cross slipped under Olsen’s hand to leave Dries Mertens with a tap-in at the far post in the 50th minute.

    Then, Fabian Ruiz burst down the left and set up Verdi for the third five minutes later.

    Substitute Amin Younes added the fourth, scoring at the second attempt after Roma failed to clear a corner kick.

    Second-placed Napoli stayed 15 points behind runaway leaders Juventus, who beat Empoli 1-0 on Saturday.

    AC Milan, in the lowest of the UEFA Champions League slots, have 51 points, followed by Atalanta (48) and Roma (47).

    Ranieri returned for a second stint at the club to replace Eusebio Di Francesco.

    Di Francesco was fired after a 3-0 derby defeat to Lazio was followed by UEFA Champions League elimination at the hands of FC Porto.

    “It’s difficult, but we are working hard and trying to do our best,” said Ranieri. “The others run faster and harder and get to the ball first. Do I regret taking the job? Never.”

    Atalanta fell behind to an early Gervinho goal at Parma.

    But Mario Pasalic levelled midway through the first half and two goals in the last 15 minutes from striker Duvan Zapata gave them the points.

    The Colombian took his season’s tally to 19, level with Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo and two behind leading scorer Fabio Quagliarella of Sampdoria.(Reuters/NAN)

  • Fulham sack Ranieri, appoint Parker as caretaker manager

    Struggling English Premier League (EPL) club Fulham sacked Claudio Ranieri as manager on Thursday, after a little over three months in charge.

    The Italian won just 12 points in 16 games after taking over, leaving the club second from bottom and 10 points from safety with just 10 games to go.

    In a statement, Fulham named Scott Parker as caretaker manager.

    Ranieri led Leicester City FC to the EPL title in 2016.

    NAN

     

  • Job hunting Ranieri ready to sell house for £700,000

    Job hunting Ranieri ready to sell house for £700,000

    Football managers are famously known for their expensive taste in properties, usually acquiring sprawling manors in acres of land lavishly decorated to match.

    But one skipper who certainly bucks the trend is Italian Claudio Ranieri, who famously led Leicester City to victory in 2016 when they won the Premier League for the first time in the club’s history.

    Ranieri, 65, has put the modest four-bedroom detached family home that was his base while commanding the club on the market for nearly £700,000 after being sacked in February.

    Ranieri has now put the property, which is on Barrington Road in the leafy Stoneygate area of Leicester, on the market with a guide price of £695,000.

    In contrast with many Premier League players’ pads, pictures of the home show how Ranieri lived a modest lifestyle as he masterminded Leicester’s title glory.

    The 2,496 sq ft property has a small garden with a well-kept lawn and a small tree in the back left-hand corner.

    The house comes with a tandem garage and conservatory and pictures of the inside show empty rooms with cream walls and carpet.

    There is also a large kitchen complete with a range cooker and another image shows a bathroom with a walk-in shower and a simple bath.

    The four-bedroom house, which has three reception rooms, is located in the fashionable area of Stoneygate which is known for its boutique shops and restaurants.

  • EPL bosses take stock over Ranieri sacking

    EPL bosses take stock over Ranieri sacking

     

     

    Premier League managers including Tony Pulis and David Moyes have expressed their disappointment at Claudio Ranieri’s sacking by Leicester City.

    The reigning champions announced on Thursday that they had parted company with Ranieri less than 10 months on from their remarkable title triumph.

    Leicester’s owners made it clear that concern for the club’s top-flight survival was behind their decision, with widespread reports suggesting the team’s senior players had called for the board to take action after they lost faith in Ranieri’s methods.

    West Brom boss Pulis said he was disappointed at the news but suggested Leicester had become “carried away” by their stunning success of last term.

    “You can’t take your foot off the pedal. I’m afraid if you do that and start to get relaxed and take things for granted it’s the worst game in the world for kicking you up the backside.”

    Moyes, who was sacked by then-defending champions Manchester United in April 2014, described the news as a dark day for managers across the world.

    “I’m really disappointed for Claudio,” said the Sunderland boss. “For managers now it’s put in perspective that you can win the Premier League and you go three-quarters of the next season not doing so well and you can lose your job.

    Sevilla head coach Jorge Sampaoli, whose side beat Leicester 2-1 in the Champions League last-16 first leg this week in Ranieri’s final match in charge, feels the Italian paid the price for football’s lack of nostalgia.

    ‘”Looking on from a distance, it makes me feel very sad, that someone who achieved the unthinkable is dismissed the following year,” he said.

  • Musa steps out in style

    Musa steps out in style

     

     

     

    Leicester City coach Claudio Ranieri will be hoping to walk off the iPro Stadium tonight with his boys with victory over Derby County in the FA Cup clash.

    One player that he will be banking on to deliver is Nigerian international Ahmed Musa.

    Musa who has been effective for the foxes so far boasts of two goals from 16 appearances for the premier league defending champions.

    That perhaps is on a serious note, but some time it is good to step out in style off the pitch.

     

    That was what the 24 year old did in his latest instalgram post in a super traditional outfit that could make models green with envy.

    But who says the former CSKA Moscow ace cannot step into modelling after football or even combine it with other footballers that are combining the game with modelling.

  • Ranieri named FIFA Coach of the Year

    Ranieri named FIFA Coach of the Year

     

    Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has been named as Coach of the Year at the FIFA Best Awards.
    Ranieri had faced competition from Portugal coach Fernando Santos and Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, but he can now add another accolade to his collection after a remarkable 18 months at the King Power Stadium.
    The award is recognition for the Italian guiding Leicester to the Premier League title with two games to spare after they had been the pre-season favourites to be relegated from the top flight.
    The Foxes have struggled in the defence of their crown, but they earned a place in the last 16 of the Champions League after recording 13 points from their first five games in the competition.
    Santos had been named on the three-man shortlist after leading Portugal to glory at Euro 2016, while Real Madrid won the Champions League under Zidane and are currently on a 39-match unbeaten run.

  • Leicester eyeing £8m swoop for Francesco Acerbi

    Leicester eyeing £8m swoop for Francesco Acerbi

     
    Claudio Ranieri is poised to continue his January strengthening by making an £8million offer for Sassuolo defender Francesco Acerbi next week.
    Ranieri has prioritised the signing of a centre back to provide competition for Wes Morgan and Robert Huth.
    Leicester had two bids rejected for Michael Keane last summer and are resigned to Burnley keeping hold of the defender in January, so Acerbi, an Italy international who had successful treatment for testicular cancer in 2014, has emerged as Ranieri’s prime defensive target.
    Schalke centre back Matija Nastasic has also come on to Leicester’s radar but the costs attached to the former Manchester City man are prohibitive.
    Bartosz Kapustka travelled with Leicester’s squad for their FA Cup tie at Everton as the club delay any thoughts ofshipping him out on loan.
    FIFA regulations judge Under-23 games as counting in laws prohibiting a player appearing for three different clubs in one season.
    Kapustka, who has yet to feature for Leicester’s first team, played twice for Cracovia in July before joining Leicester, where he has played regularly with the Under 23s.

  • Champions League: *Ranieri banks on Musa against Brugge

    Super Eagles forward Ahmed Musa and his Leicester teammates have been told to double effort if they are to return to winning ways in the EPL on one hand and come close to re-enacting the super performance the achieved last season on the other.
    Coach of the side Claudio Ranieri who gave the charge sounded more like a medical doctor when he submitted that the only medicine available for the defending champions is to work harder and become a more compact team. He reminded the players that the time to fight against relegation is not at the tail end of the season but as early as possible.
    “The relegation is very close to us and we have to react.
    “I expected difficulties [this season], but not so strong. I expected some more points.
    “That’s normal after a team like Leicester win the title. Now we have to be compact, continue to work hard, because there is only one medicine – work hard and be together,” he said
    Leicester have only managed to garner 12 points in 12 matches and last recorded victory October 22nd thanks to a 3-1 defeat of Crystal Palace at the King Power Stadium with the Nigerian international grabbing the first goal in the 42nd minute.
    Ranieri will be hoping to sing victory song as his side hosts Club Brugge in Tuesday’s Champions League clash. Champions League tie away to København a fortnight ago ended goalless. The former Chelsea and Athletico Madrid coach will no doubt be praying for mother luck to shine on Musa and his teammates to give him something to cheer about.