Nicknamed “Tinkerman” for changing his system more often
than most managers, Ranieri has been sacked after his short stint at Inter.
Ranieri was hired to pick up the pieces of a shattered Inter
side that found themselves dwelling in the bottom of the standings after Gasperini
failed to record a single win in his first 5 matches at the helm. Ranieri’s
entrance was a breath of fresh air as Inter picked up their first win of the
season and recorded another win in the champion’s league.
Ranieri’s good start did not last long however, as Inter’s
form was far from consistent and it wasn’t until December where results started
to go their way. Ranieri guided the team
to an 8 match winning streak which saw the club climb the table and looked to
mount a serious race for third place, until he finally succumbed to defeat at
the hands of Napoli for the second time this season. After that, the team went
9 matches without recording a single win destroying any hopes of a third place
finish and champions league football for the Nerazzurri.
Ranieri was in a tight situation, many thought that the only
thing between him and his job was that Inter were still within a fighting
chance to reach the Quarter Finals of the Champions league where they had to
overturn a 1 goal deficit against Marseille. It wasn’t too much of an ask as
they would be playing at the San Siro , in front of their own fans. While Inter
managed to open the scoring, Marseille scored a dramatic equalizer in the dying
minutes of the game to send Inter crashing out of the competition.
Surprisingly, Moratti did not take any action and Ranieri got
to live for another day. The Tinkerman further tested Moratti’s patience with a
goalless draw against Atalanta at the San Siro, and finally, a 2-0 loss against
their fiercest rivals, Juventus, in The Derby d'Italia this weekend was
enough to force the president’s hand and show the 60 year old coach the door.
Interestingly, Tinkerman has found a unique coaching dynamic
where he keeps failing, gets paid generously and everyone feels sorry for him.
Although he has coached teams like Atletico Madrid, Valencia,
Chelsea, Juventus and Roma, and had the resources to mount serious title challenges,
he has never won a domestic league title. His only notable trophies include
winning the Coppa Italia with Fiorentina in 1996 and the Copa Del Rey with
Valencia in 1999, with his last trophy dating back to 2004, when he won the UEFA
Super Cup during his second stint at Valencia in 2004.
Ranieri led Inter for 34 games and while he managed to
collect 16 wins and 5 draws, he lost 13 games, much too many for the liking of
Inter fans and management.
Inter’s Primavera coach Stramaccioni has been
appointed as the man to replace Ranieri which may be just what the team needs. Time
will tell if this is the beginning of a long-term project with Stramaccioni
bringing through Inter's promising youngsters who recently won the
NextGen Series, an international football tournament where the world’s best
football clubs showcase their youngsters in a knockout competition.
With not much to play for in their domestic league, the
pressure is off and it would be an ideal time for Inter to start their
rebuilding process and give their younger players a chance to show what they
can do. After-all, they really can’t do much more damage than what has already
been done this season.
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