Why Ranieri can only ‘say yes’ to his third Roma stint | OneFootball

Claudio Ranieri’s decision to return from retirement to take charge of a struggling Roma side should not come as a surprise, considering he had already said in the past that ‘when Roma call’ he has ‘to say yes’.

When Ranieri said he had to ‘say yes’ to Roma

The former Leicester manager already coached the Giallorossi twice, with his last stint coming in 2019, when he took over the fired Eusebio Di Francesco with the Stadio Olimpico outfit chasing a Champions League spot.

He had been just sacked by Fulham back then and, while he admitted that he would’ve ‘never’ signed for any other club at that moment, he couldn’t turn down an offer from the club of the city where he was born.

CAGLIARI, ITALY – JANUARY 26: Cagliari coach Claudio Ranieri moved by the memory of Ggi Riva during the minute of silence in his memory during the Serie A TIM match between Cagliari and Torino FC – Serie A TIM at Sardegna Arena on January 26, 2024 in Cagliari, Italy. (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)

‘Returning to Rome is always special, above all for Roman people, for Roma fans,” he said in his first press conference as Roma coach in 2019.

‘The emotion couldn’t be higher. I would’ve never signed for any other club, but Roma, if they call, I have to say yes.’

How Ranieri’s two previous stints at Roma went

Ranieri‘s first experience as Roma coach had come in 2009 when he replaced Luciano Spalletti at the beginning of the season before going toe to toe with José Mourinho’s Inter in a thrilling title fight that would last until the final Serie A day.

The Giallorossi missed out on the Scudetto, finishing two points behind Inter, and they failed to bring their form into the following season, which saw Ranieri resign in February 2011 after watching his side throw away a first-half 3-0 lead at Genoa to lose 4-3.

ROME, ITALY – MAY 26: AS Roma head coach Claudio Ranieri looks on during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Parma Calcio at Stadio Olimpico on May 26, 2019 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

However, the ‘Tinkerman’ returned to Roma in 2019 as an interim manager, although he failed to significantly revive the team who had been struggling under Di Francesco, as he only slightly improved their Serie A point average.

Ranieri would leave at the end of that season after steering the Giallorossi to a 6th-place finish, earning them a spot in the Europa League.

The coach was in tears in his final home match at the helm against Parma, but is now set to get a new chance to revive the fortunes of the club he’s always supported, who currently sit 12th in Serie A, having won only three of their opening 12 games of the season under previous managers Daniele De Rossi and Ivan Juric.