«Who knows how many you will have told me…» . Claudio Ranieri laughs heartily as he opens the press conference on the eve of Cagliari-Juventus. The rossoblù coach's reference, with the journalists in front, is to the team lined up on Sunday evening against Inter. «I'm crazy... I'm a senile old man... But that's right. Unfortunately the coach is only good when he wins. Then, all the other times... I did everything wrong."
In Asseminello Ranieri looks at his latest performances. «We are doing well, very well. But there are other tests to face. Pitfalls are always around the corner, which is why balance is needed. It doesn't take much to go from euphoria to despondency."
From San Siro with crazy enthusiasm but with the awareness that salvation is still to be conquered: Claudio Ranieri holds onto the golden point won with Inter, but keeps his feet on the ground and relaunches the challenge against Juventus, a The other big name of the tournament is expected on Friday evening at the Unipol Domus.
Speaking of Juve, «it's a team that knows what it's doing, as does its coach», was the premise of the Cagliari coach in the press conference at the “Crai Sport Center” in Assemini. «He knows how to find the goal and defends like no one in Europe. They are then deadly when they restart at speed with those attackers and deadly in dead balls. For this reason we will not have to be careful, but very careful."
Ranieri is pursuing a new feat after the success against Atalanta and the draw in Milan. "We have to try to score points against anyone," he reiterates. «The salvation quota has not changed. Under thirty-five-thirty-six there is a risk. We must push, without fear, against any team. Also because there is no obvious result, and we have seen it everywhere in the last few days."
Satisfied with the attitude the team is having, Ranieri highlights the impact that Di Pardo, Obert and Hatzidiakos had last Sunday. And he is keen to point out about Shomurodov: «He is an extraordinary player. He arrived perhaps a little demoralized by previous experiences, then he understood that I don't look at anyone and that to play you always have to give one hundred percent."
Fabiano Gaggini