Claudio Ranieri’s gone, gone to the outside, looking in
Inter’s body count now includes four coaches in the last 15 months as their struggles continue. Claudio Ranieri was the latest to be shown the door. Since Jose Mourinho left, Inter have gone through Rafa Benitez, Leonardo, Gian Piero Gasperini, and now Ranieri.
Obviously Mourinho left Massimo Moratti with a real taste of the good things in life. Which has not come close to being replicated again. Inter are in eighth position and in danger of sliding down further. Ranieri did manage to arrest Inter’s horrendous start to the season winning seven straight and propelling them to the top but he could not pull off the AS Roma miracle three years ago taking them from relegation to Serie runners up.
He was sacked following yesterday’s loss to Juventus in the Derby D’Italia. Inter actually played very well but failed to get past an excellent Gigi Buffon and a water tight Juve defense. At first Moratti offered a sort of lukewarm defense of Ranieri but seems to have re-considered his position hours later. Ranieri lasted just about six months. The club website put out this statement:
” President Massimo Moratti and Inter Milan all thank Claudio Ranieri and his staff for their professionalism, dedication, and sincerity, in recent months at the helm of the team. FC Internazionale also announces the appointment of Andrea Stramaccioni, the youth team coach as FC Internazionale’s new coach.”
The appointment of Stramaccioni is significant because make no mistake, this Inter squad is old. Their average age is 31 years and counting. It is a team sorely in need of rejuvenation.
Wesley Sneijder such a force under Mourinho is a shadow. The steel trap defense so celebrated in bringing down Barca in that semi-finals has lost its teeth. Thiago Motta has gone over to PSG. Diego Milito such a clinical finisher looks hesitant and indecisive.
Stramaccioni built up the Inter youth squad joining the club in spring 2011and yesterday the side won the first edition of the NextGen championship edging out Ajax on penalties, 5-4. Moratti when he made Stramaccioni’s appointment alluded to that talent saying he saw some players maybe 3 or 4 who he thought could play a few minutes in the senior squad.