Claudio Ranieri continued with the maximum balance in the derby of the capital, as Roma won 2:0 against Lazio in Serie A on Sunday night. Thus Roma got the push it so badly needed in the difficult edition.
Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini scored the opener, while Alexis Saelemaekeres converted a counter-attack to give Roma a two-goal lead after 18 minutes.
Iconic coach Ranieri now has five wins in five local derbies as Roma manager. He is the third coach of the team this season. Daniele De Rossi and Ivan Juric were sacked for lack of results. Ranieri's other derby wins came in his first spell at Roma, from 2009 to 2011. Ranieri managed his hometown team briefly in 2019 as well.
"The coach is a legend of Rome. We all know this and we are all happy about it", said Saelemaekers.
"He took the leadership of the team at a difficult moment, organized the whole group and improved the mentality."
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The 73-year-old Ranieri has also won three big local derbies in Italy, Milan, Turin and Genoa, as coach of Inter, Juventus and Sampdoria.
"If the team lacks energy, the coach must provide energy. But usually the team has enough energy for the derby and the coach doesn't need to add anything. I just try to keep the players calm, so that they give everything they can on the field of play," said Ranieri.
Ranieri remains best known for his time at Leicester City in England. He shocked the sports world by leading this team to the Premier League title in 2016. In England, he has not always been appreciated. He was even given the nickname "Tinkerman" due to the numerous changes of players and formations in the teams he led.
His career, however, is impressive. Last season he helped Cagliari avoid relegation from Serie A and said it was his last job at club level. But he could not refuse Rome, when the club of the heart invited him in November, although the crisis was deep. Ranieri's contract foresees that he will have an executive role in the club after this season. It will have an impact on who will be the next coach of the team.
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Roma, who have won three of their last five matches in Serie A, moved up to tenth place. Lazio remains in fourth place. Pellegrini has been heavily criticized by Roma fans this season and his goal in the derby has taken some of the pressure off.
Ranieri is also helping to bring calm back to the club. He started his career as a coach in 1986, while he also managed teams such as Napoli, Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Monaco and many others.
