RANIERI: "IT WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE A TOUGH NIGHT"
Just as during the first time round, Claudio Ranieri tasted victory in his first game thanks to a 2-1 triumph - this time against Empoli at the Stadio Olimpico. Stephan El Shaarawy and Patrik Schick scored the goals for the Giallorossi. "I have to congratulate the team, because they stayed compact even with ten men and never gave the opposition a chance to score. I didn’t quite understand the first goal – we knew their last man was going to block it but I don’t know whether it was a foul or not. I was sure about their disallowed second because I’d seen the handball. The first match is done now. I want to say a big thank you to the fans because they stayed close to us during a tough time and that’s important.”
About tactical changes: “I have an idea but I can’t tell you anything, otherwise I’m doing the opposition’s job for them. We’ll help each other out but proper organisation and focus are the only ways to ensure we don’t concede. We always score sooner or later, but we can’t concede so many. There’s clearly something that’s not quite right so I’ll do my best to help the team.”
About Nicolo Zaniolo: “The muscle just got a bit stiff. I had picked him to avoid taking too much of a risk with [Diego] Perotti, because he’s been injured and just played 120 minutes against Porto. I was about to take Nicolo off when he told me that his calf was feeling stiff. It shouldn’t be anything serious.”
About Patrick Schick: “He has it all. Speed, technique, dribbling, goals… he has it all. Before the game I told him: ‘If you show the same character you did when you came on in Porto, you’re one of my guys.’ I liked some of his play today, though he could have done more – as with the whole team.”
(Photo Getty Images)
