IS CLAUDIO RANIERI ABOUT

TO GET IT RIGHT?
OLANIYI G. AKANJI
There are very strange ways fortune smiles on people. Strange ways, indeed! Such
is the case for a strange person like Claudio Ranieri. One of the most travelled men
in the world of football. He is the Italian that had worked, and is still working in
foreign lands, coaching footballers to delivers trophies. Yes! Definitely to deliver
football trophies! But has he actually delivered the trophies? Those that can be
counted as major trophies that can put him in the ranks of the Special One, Jose
Mourinho and the rest.
The first strange fact about the Rome born coach is his professional football career.
Although he signed a professional contract with FC Roma, he played there only six
times in two seasons. FC Palermo was, perhaps another top team he donned their
shirts. Others teams included Siracusa, Catanzaro and Catania. Most of them took
him into promotion campaigns that were successful.
Another strange thing about the strange man is that he had coached in all but one
of the five biggest football leagues in Europe. Check his clubs roll call: Lametini
(Italy), Puteolana (Italy), Cagliari (Italy), Napoli (Italy), Fiorentina (Italy), Valencia
(Spain), Atltico Madrid (Spain),Chelsea (England), Valencia (Spain),Parma (Italy),
Juventus (Italy), Roma (Italy), Inter Milan (Italy), Monaco (France), and Leicester City
(England). That leaves only Germany out of the Big Five!
What about the trophies? He has not been that lucky, obviously. At Fiorentina, he
won Coppa Italia; 199596 and Supercoppa Italiana; 1996. His time in Valencia
brought UEFA Intertoto Cup; 1998, Copa del Rey; 199899 and UEFA Super Cup;
2004.
Ranieris time at London club, Chelsea FC was very eventful but yielded no trophies.
He is a proud man, anyway, for that. The book Proud Man Walking chronicling his
last year at Chelsea was published in September, 2004. Even with that he became
the laughing stock of his successor, the acclaimed Special One, Jose Mourinho.
In 2008, Mourinho said this about Ranieri, his predecessor: Ranieri? I guess hes
right with what he said I am very demanding of myself and I have to win to be sure
of things. This is why I have won so many trophies in my career. Ranieri on the other
hand has the mentality of someone who doesnt need to win. He is almost 70 years
old. He has won a Supercup and another small trophy and he is too old to change
his mentality. Hes old and he hasnt won anything. I studied Italian five hours a day
for many months to ensure I could communicate with the players, media and fans.

Ranieri had been in England for five years and still struggled to say good morning
and good afternoon.'"
That was a sharp response to what Ranieri had said about Mourinho earlier, in an
interview: I am not like Mourinho, I dont have to win things to be sure of myself. It
came at a press conference after a 3-0 defeat to Hamburg.
Mourinho had had it good since then, until this season; 2015-2016, when all walls at
Stamford Bridge collapsed without respite. Ranieri, seems to be having the last
laugh, now. Leicester City FC, the lowly club he coaches beat Mourinhos Chelsea FC
2-1, Monday, 14th December, 2015. It took the fast rising team to the pinnacle of the
league table, at least for that weekend.
Now that The Specialist One has been relieved of his tumultuous role at West
London and the most unexpected team in the league, Leicester City FC, is leading
the table, led and managed by the most unexpected coach/manager, Claudio
Ranieri, there is a big question. Is he about to get it right, this time around? We all
wait till May, 2016!

Pix: Claudio Ranieri