Claudio Ranieri after the loss to Frosinone
Claudio Ranieri spoke to the media after the defeat to Frosinone at the “Benito Stirpe” stadium.
ANALYSIS
“Frosinone deserved it, congratulations to the opponent and goalkeeper Turati, who made some great saves in the second half on our headers. We dropped too deep, Frosinone pushed a lot, and at a certain point, we lacked the ability to attack their spaces with players that we didn’t have available today, such as Luvumbo and Oristanio, although I never like to talk about absentees. We dropped back, and we were not able to slow down their actions, it’s a shame because the first half was good. In the second half, they changed, and we did what we had to do, but without creating problems for Frosinone. Everyone gave their best; I can’t blame anything. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t manage the game once in the lead, making mistakes that we pay dearly for. We have many young players who need to be helped and supported.”
GAME DEVELOPMENT
“We stayed a bit in position without being able to support the center forward holding the ball. I don’t think it’s a physical problem because these are leggy players, but maybe we thought that once in the lead, Frosinone wouldn’t press us high as they did, as usual. Soule? He should be applauded; he made a beautiful and difficult play. These pearls are the beauty of football. He did well, as he did in the first leg. Today, we limited him well and shielded him both with Zappa’s position and as a team, but on set pieces, there’s nothing you can do. A move from a champion, reminiscent of the greats like Maradona and Zico. These are the moves that are worth the price of admission.”
HOME ADVANTAGE
“I told the guys that at our home, it would have been different. Even today, our many fans were magnificent, and we’re very sorry not to have given them joy. At the Unipol Domus, perhaps the boys feel even more confident, protected, and pushed, but it’s normal when you have many young elements, and the psychological factor has more impact. Today we’re not happy, certainly. If we had won or drawn, maybe without conceding a goal as it was our goal, it would have been different. We know we’ll have to fight until the last second of the last game. Winning wouldn’t have gotten to our heads, and a defeat like today shouldn’t bring us down.”
LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT GAME
“We move on thinking about Torino on Friday night. Torino is a great team; we’ll have to suffer and fight as always because Juric gives Torino great intensity, and we’ll have to be ready. We’re all there; whoever gives up gets sucked in. We don’t want to give up; we’ll be in the race until the end. I train willing, good guys who are hungry and train in the right way, and I’m talking about everyone: the younger ones – Italians and non-Italians – as well as the more experienced ones. It’s a pleasure to work with men of this caliber. The market? We are among those clubs that can operate minimally to safeguard liquidity and economic stability. It’s not a problem because I have a valid group, and they don’t lack anything. To operate in the transfer market, we need to free up something. We go on with confidence and serenity.”
RACISM IN FOOTBALL
“A real shame. For a few idiots, an entire fan base suffers. The League and the Federation must do something; it happened to us in another city (in Verona, editor’s note). Two suspension days were assigned to the Curva and then removed. We need to use a firm hand.”
