Claudio Ranieri celebrates taking Cagliari into the Serie B promotion play-off semi-finals, but also has a thought for Leicester City who are battling relegation. ‘Football brings dreams and also nightmares.’
The coach returned to Sardinia, where he had effectively started his Serie A career from 1988 to 1991, bringing them from the lower divisions to the top flight.
Taking over in January 2023, he steered them into the promotion play-offs and today they beat Venezia 2-1 to set up a semi-final against Parma.
“I have so much love for this land and these people, so it seemed right for me to return and lend a helping hand. I considered it for a long time at first, as I didn’t want to sully those wonderful memories I had created here, but then I realised it was egotistical to think about myself and not a club, a team and fans who were in a moment of difficulty.
“So I thought, it’s all or nothing, let’s give it a go. Football is emotion, as long as it brings emotion, I can control the tension. We all know that victory and defeat are separated by such a fine line, especially in these play-offs. I always said if we don’t go through, we must be able to say we did everything we could. If the others did better, we shake their hands and accept it.”
Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, Ranieri also had a thought for the fans of his old club Leicester City, who he took to win the Premier League title in 2016, but could be relegated tomorrow.
“I have sadness for these marvellous fans. Football brings dreams and also nightmares,” said the 71-year-old.
“I will always remember a game against Sunderland, which is practically in Scotland. I saw two or three buses full of old people who had travelled to attend the match and I thought, what time did they get up to make this journey?
“There is also a big Asian community in Leicester and many of them told me they were grateful that football helped to unite the city more. That goes beyond the Premier League that we won.”
Italy now have a team in the Finals of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, as Inter will face Manchester City, Roma are against Sevilla and Fiorentina take on West Ham United.
Over the years, Ranieri has been on the benches of all three of those Italian clubs.
“It’s a one-off match and anything can happen. I really hope Italian football triumphs, because we need to get back up there. We don’t have the money of the Premier League, but we’ve got ideas, great coaches and I hope we can smile after some dark years.”