The former Chelsea manager jumped before he was pushed after Roma's second cataclysmic capitulation in a week
Close but no cigar. Not even a cheroot. That would be a fitting epitaph for the nomadic 24-year managerial career of Claudio Ranieri, which came to a juddering halt on Sunday when the former Chelsea manager quit his post at Roma. The former Roma striker Vincenzo Montella has been confirmed as Ranieri's replacement.
Ranieri's resignation came in the wake of a cataclysmic 4-3 loss at Genoa, a result made worse due to the fact his Roma team had been 3-0 up at one point. The defeat followed yet another Roman capitulation in the Champions League knockout stages, this time a 3-2 home defeat to last-16 new-boys Shakhtar Donetsk.
Roma had given Internazionale a real run for their money in the Serie A title race last season, but haven't been able to follow that up, and are currently languishing in eighth place.
Ranieri ? whose managerial roll of honour runs to one Coppa Italia with Fiorentina in the mid 1990s ? has said he would like to manage again, preferably in the Premier League. A return to his former club Chelsea is extremely unlikely, albeit slightly less so if rumours in the Italian press linking current Stamford Bridge supremo Carlo Ancelotti with the now vacant post at Roma prove to be true.
Italy's coach, Cesare Prandelli, has praised Ranieri for his "responsibility and dignity" in resigning, though how much dignity was on display when Sky Sports asked Ranieri if he'd like to come back to England is a moot point. "NOW!" he babbled, before the reporter could finish the question.
Ranieri's resignation should have no bearing on the possible purchase of Roma by a consortium from the United States.
Talking points
? It always appeared a strange move on Massimiliano Allegri's part to leave Alexandre Pato on the bench against Tottenham and start with Clarence Seedorf last week. Allegri acknowledged his mistake at the time, replacing the wheezing, anonymous Seedorf with Pato at half-time, and Milan looked all the better for the Brazilian's youthful energy and direct running.
Yet against Chievo, Pato was once again named as a substitute, with Antonio Cassano linking up with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho, both of whom hardly covered themselves in glory against Tottenham. At least the pair linked up for Milan's opener after 25 minutes, Ibrahimovic heading down for Robinho to score. Their lead did not last too long however. On 61 minutes, Gelson Fernandes equalised for Chievo and Milan were suddenly faced with the prospect of their lead over Napoli at the top of the table being reduced to a single point; a potentially disastrous situation considering the gloom that had already threatened to envelop the club following the defeat to Spurs.
Luckily for them, Pato rode to the rescue. Four minutes after Chievo's equaliser, Allegri threw him on for Cassano. Seventeen minutes later, Pato had scored the winner. Milan may not score a more important goal all season.
? After the high of beating Inter last week, Juventus reverted to type. The 1-0 victory over the champions gave them renewed hope of reinvigorating their season, but that result proved to be a false dawn. This week they succumbed meekly to a 2-0 defeat away to Lecce. One step forward, another two back. Nine points behind third-placed Inter, Juventus's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League appear increasingly unlikely. For the second season in a row. Nothing went right for them against Lecce. Gigi Buffon was sent off after 12 minutes, forcing Juve to take off Milos Krasic and bring on Marco Storari, and it got worse from there. Goals either side of half-time from Djamel Mesbah and Andrea Bertolacci made it an uphill task for Juve, and even when Giuseppe Vives saw red after 69 minutes, Juventus were unable to muster a response.
? There were missed chances down at the bottom of the table. Catania, perched precariously above the relegation zone, lost 1-0 to high-flying Napoli, but neither Brescia nor Cesena were able to take advantage. For Cesena it was a case of what might have been, Raffaele Palladino's 88th-minute equaliser denying them a valuable victory away to Parma, the match ending 2-2. Cesena had twice taken the lead and were pegged back twice. There was less excitement on offer in Brescia's match, a 0-0 draw away to Udinese. While both sides might have initially reflected on useful away points, it is more likely they were kicking themselves after seeing that Catania had lost. As for Bari, propping up the table, their fate appears more or less sealed after a 1-0 defeat away to Lazio, which left them 11 points off safety with 12 games left to play.
Paolo Bandini is currently away on his honeymoon. But fear not, his Serie A column will return in a fortnight.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/feb/21/claudio-ranieri-roma-serie-a
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