Roma need a "jolt" to snap out of their poor early season form new coach Claudio Ranieri said yesterday.
Ranieri agreed to a two-year contract with the Serie A club after Luciano Spalletti resigned following two losses to open the Italian season.
"Spalletti's Roma had a sparkling sense of play. My philosophy is a little different - I'm bringing my pragmatism to this team," Ranieri said after a team meeting and training session.
"What's really needed is a jolt, because this team has to make a turnaround right away. Maybe the guys lost a little bit of belief."
Roma lost to Genoa 3-2 on the opening day of the season and were beaten by Juventus 3-1 on Sunday, but club president Rosella Sensi said she was surprised by Spalletti's resignation.
"I respect Spalletti, but I didn't expect him to abandon the ship," Sensi said. "He made his choices and I suppose he had his reasons."
Roma were runners-up in Serie A in Spalletti's first three seasons, but the Giallorossi finished sixth last season and out of the Champions League places.
"In the last four years, this team did some great things, displaying some of the best football in Europe. Fifteen months ago this team was a half hour from winning the Serie A title," said the Rome-born Ranieri. "As a Roman, watching them play filled me with pride. I'm coming home with a great desire to do well."
Ranieri began his playing career with Roma, but appeared just six times for the club in 1973-74.
As a coach, Ranieri has taken charge of Fiorentina, Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and Parma. He was fired by Juventus with two games remaining last season.
Struggling financially, Roma have been unable to make many big acquisitions in recent seasons, and the club is still largely dependent on captain Francesco Totti, who turns 33 later this month. Upon her arrival at the team's training centre, Sensi was greeted by graffiti scrawled on walls calling for her departure.
"We certainly didn't meet all of the objectives we set forth for and I know we haven't met the fans' expectations," she said.
"My words are not going to make anyone happy, but I think our squad is competitive.
* Agencies
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
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- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
