Claudio Ranieri has launched a stinging attack on Italian
football, just days after he quit as coach of AS Roma.
Ranieri, who has also coached in England and Spain during his
career, spent 18-months at Roma after being sacked by Juventus, but
four straight defeats and violent fan protests saw him tender his
resignation after the 4-3 defeat to Genoa. The Italian, in his
first comments since leaving, did not hold back in his assessment
of Serie A.
"In football there is heaven and hell. You can decide where you
want to stand between the two but compared to England, it's hell
here," he told Rai TV. ''I still want to coach. England
fascinates me but I also like the Italian league. This year at Roma
I became the only scapegoat but now there's them, the players, who
must show everything."
The 59-year-old also hit out at some of his former players,
which many will take to be a sly dig at club captain Francesco
Totti, who he repeatedly clashed with during his time in
charge.
"This year too many people let their personal interests get in
the way of those of the team," Ranieri added. "When we spoke in the
changing rooms everyone was agreed that we needed to rotate the
team but then on the pitch when certain players were substituted
... Even now that I'm longer there, someone will have to sit on the
bench.
"There are players who give 110% for one coach but then don't
gel with another. Of course I believe that a good coach needs to
make the most of each of his players' characteristics.
"But when I was a player I tried hard to understand what my
coach wanted. I wasn't a great player but my motto was 'never give
up'. That's like the English spirit, the players are lions and you
have to hold them back. Here, this year with Roma I was
disappointed that not every player had this spirit."