Claudio Ranieri was full of praise for his former player Daniele De Rossi after Cagliari capitulated 4-0 to Roma. ‘We never managed to get near them.’
The Sardinians saw their game plan go out the window when Lorenzo Pellegrini turned in from close range on a corner after 61 seconds, the quickest goal scored in Serie A so far this season.
“Everything went out the window,” confessed Ranieri on Sky Sport Italia.
“Plus Roma proved themselves to be much stronger than us, congratulations to them, so we must drag ourselves back onto our feet and show guts to fight for our Serie A safety.”
Paulo Dybala then found the net twice, including a penalty, before the towering Dean Huijsen header from another corner.
“We have conceded a lot of goals like this on corners, so tactical balance is a different matter. When you are 2-0 down, you must try to get back into it, but we only had one or two shots on target. It’s not enough.
“There are reasons to feel hopeful. The lads always train at high intensity, Yerry Mina seems a player who really binds the defence together. We knew it would be tough, but it’s tougher than expected because too often we concede goals that are our own fault and that is a problem.”
This was Cagliari’s third consecutive defeat, but after a run of fixtures against Lazio, Udinese and Napoli, there is a period that could decide Serie A safety.
In March, the Sardinians will play Empoli, Salernitana, Monza and Verona in a row.
“We must try to get points against Lazio and Napoli, we know those will be very difficult, but it’s important to gain confidence too.”
Cagliari had become famous for their comebacks and never giving up, so why was there no sign of that this evening at the Stadio Olimpico?
“Roma deserve credit, as their quality was decisive, they repeatedly crossed from one flank to the other, moved the ball around quickly and we never managed to get near them.”
Ranieri had faced his former player De Rossi as a coach once before, in Serie B for SPAL, but the warm hug on the touchline at the Olimpico felt very different. Is there any advice?
“He doesn’t need my advice! He took on a strong team, is making them play good football, but the warm-up is finished now and he has to face stronger opponents than he’s met so far. I wish him all the best.”
#Cagliari, l'impressone di #Ranieri su #Mina: "Mi sembra che faccia legare al meglio il reparto difensivo" https://t.co/QV7FO2tEng pic.twitter.com/GhRYAg9LGS
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) February 5, 2024