The atmosphere is becoming unbearable within the sports management of AS Roma. Despite a resounding victory against Pisa this Friday (3-0), marked by a hat-trick from Donyell Malen, sporting success was not enough to mask the internal fractures. Through notable media outings on the other side of the Alps, the real tensions between coach Gian Piero Gasperini and Claudio Ranieri, special advisor to the presidency, were brought to light. This conflict exposed to everyone’s eyes is the culmination of tensions which have been parasitizing the life of the club for nine months now, as reported by Corriere dello Sport.
As the Italian daily explains, the two men have a cold relationship and have not hesitated to argue in private since the start of their collaboration. Coach of AS Roma again last season, Claudio Ranieri made a remarkable and very critical outing towards the arrival of Gasperini this Friday: “I am the main advisor to the owners, not Gasperini. I selected five or six coaches, three of whom ultimately did not join the club. With the club, we chose Gasperini for his work at Atalanta, and together we selected the players. None of them came without his consent. I love Roma, and just like I left my coaching position, I can take on the role of main advisor if I’m not asked.»
The magnanimous response of Gian Piero Gasperini
A very surprising tackle which suggests that Ranieri did not want Gasperini on his bench this summer. For his part, the former Atalanta Bergamo coach tried to maintain a smoother facade in front of the cameras. Less hostile than his superior, he still slipped a little dig at Ranieri about a poorly managed transfer window according to him: “I gave them carte blanche to choose players I didn’t know. I only named two important players, and one of them arrived. From the start, it was crucial for me to work on the attackers. It was my priority; the rest was no problem. There has never been any disagreement on this. And I always insisted on the need to work on the attack and raise the level of the team. Unfortunately, enormous difficulties subsequently arose. I never had any problems with Ranieri, no disagreements. In fact, we even seemed to agree on that.»
This internal cold war is enough to worry supporters of the capital club. Although the results on the field, like the performance against Pisa, remain positive, with a sixth place that leaves a chance in the race for the Champions League, the incompatibility between the advisor and the technician seems difficult to surpass. Between Ranieri’s reproaches about the approval given by the coach and Gasperini’s regrets about the management of the transfer window and the rout against Inter last week, cohabitation between the two experienced players seems more and more untenable for the future of La Louve.
