by Tarun Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:30 pm
Some contrasting but very interesting points of view on Channel4 regarding Ranieri
Blog: Back him or sack him
If Juventus’ master plan consists of hiring Marcello Lippi in 2010, then Antonio Labbate urges them to carefully consider the position of Claudio Ranieri now – and not later
On paper it looks like a decent plan. Keep Claudio Ranieri for a year, where he would be expected to consolidate Juventus’ position in the top three, then bring in Marcello Lippi as a technical director to work above a young aspiring Coach with a glittering Old Lady past – like Antonio Conte or Ciro Ferrara. In reality, though, it may be a recipe for disaster.
There seems to be little doubt that Juventus are keen on a third Lippi era in Turin once his World Cup commitments end in South Africa next year. A recent meeting between director general Jean-Claude Blanc and the current Italian national boss intimated that. The imminent signing of Fabio Cannavaro confirmed it.
Although Ranieri insisted this week that he’d approved the Cannavaro swoop, it’s widely understood that Juve opened the door for the stopper at the request of Lippi. And if the latter is already having an impact on the club’s market strategies then we shouldn’t expect a move for Antonio Cassano this summer or a Vincenzo Iaquinta sale.
If Juventus, as is widely believed, have opted to start a new chapter in 2010 – year four of their five-year recovery plan after Calciopoli – then why not turn that page now? Keeping a Coach for a term in the knowledge that he won’t remain is a dangerous ploy and Lippi knows it.
He was at the helm of the Old Lady in 1998-99 when it became clear in the early part of the campaign that he had already agreed to join Inter at the end of the season. La Vecchia Signora subsequently flopped, winning seven, drawing six and losing seven in the League before a home reverse to Parma saw Lippi resign on the spot. Juve went on to finish a disastrous sixth.
The Turin giants can’t afford – in every sense – a repeat with Ranieri. Such an outcome would be two steps backwards at the expense of one step forward, a setback that even the most patient Bianconeri follower would find hard to forgive.
Although Ranieri hasn’t done a bad job with the players he’s had at his disposal, dismissing him this summer, a year before his current agreement expires, is an option which the club would have to consider at the very least.
Players he has specifically requested have failed to perform, doubts remain over his tactical know-how and his relationship with some of his troops – most notably a number of the senators – isn’t without problems. Those issues may escalate next term if the squad is made aware that he’s on borrowed time.
If Juventus are thinking about Conte for 2010, the man who is masterminding Bari’s promotion to the top flight, then they should reconsider. Not because he wouldn’t be worthy, but because if he is good enough for then they have to accept that he is good enough for now.
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Blog: Got lemons? Make lemonade
As the pressure builds on Claudio Ranieri, Scott Fleming argues his case given the resources at his disposal
Claudio Ranieri and Juventus never really seemed like the perfect fit. On the one hand there’s Ranieri, amiable and laid back, and on the other there’s Juventus, Italian football’s most successful team, a hard nosed, efficient unit with winning in their blood.
No disrespect to Ranieri, who had just reasserted his credentials by salvaging Parma from the drop, but it seemed a little like hiring a sitcom star to play a dramatic lead. The Tinkerman had already wilted under the pressure at Chelsea.
Nonetheless, as the Old Lady’s title dreams fade into a tussle for second place with the resurgent Milan, their last shot at silverware disappears with defeat home and away to Lazio in the Coppa Italia semi final, and the murmurs that have dogged Ranieri throughout his tenure build to a crescendo, I feel it is time to mount a defence of the man.
This is because I genuinely believe few could have done any better with the current Juve squad. Many are deceived by the smattering of stars in the Bianconeri squad, players like Alessandro Del Piero, Gigi Buffon, Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet.
The reality is that this is a club, for all its pride and desire, that is still reeling from its spell in Serie B, with a squad full of players who belong there. The blame for this surely lies with the much maligned sporting director Alessio Secco.
To suggest that Ranieri didn’t have some input into transfers would be misguided and naïve, but ultimately the buck stops with Secco. His dealings have left Juventus with a squad no better than Roma’s or Fiorentina’s, and yet they are weighed down with a much greater expectation.
All things considered, not forgetting the mammoth injury crisis the side endured early on, what Ranieri has coaxed out of his players this season is respectable. For a squad so carelessly assembled and unbalanced to sustain a title challenge this long is impressive.
In addition Juve were easily the most impressive of Italy’s Champions League participants, topping a tough section, beating Real Madrid home and away and pushing Chelsea to the limit. If Phil Scolari had still been in charge it most probably would have ended differently.
The truth may be that Ranieri, as he did at Stamford Bridge, will eventually have to step aside for the club to reach a position worthy of its status. Hopefully he is remembered fondly, for injecting a bit of pride into a limited squad with the weight of the world on their shoulders.
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wrote:The more I see of Giovinco, the more I really don't understand all the Modric to Juve rumours. Not that I'm making a judgement on who is better, but they seem quite similar players.
