Ranieri interview after victory over Fiorentina

Here’s what our coach had to say.

Will you be watching Bologna take on Juventus over dinner?

“I’m going out for dinner. I’m going out, so I won’t be watching it. I might record it, but I don’t need to watch it. We’re not playing against Juventus or Bologna, so it’s not really necessary.”

Can you tell us a bit about the match? It was played with so much adrenaline, courage and a real desire to make sacrifices to bring home the win.

“Absolutely true. Fiorentina are a great team with technically gifted players who put you under pressure. We wanted to press them high, but we weren’t able to. Credit to them. They made us chase shadows, so I said to the lads, ‘Let’s sit back, otherwise we’ll just waste energy and get nothing from it.’

“That goal at the end of the first half was crucial because it allowed us to manage things as well as we could in terms of the human resources of my players.”

You still played your part. The starting 11 was the same as at San Siro, but you made five substitutions at the right time to help see out the result. It wasn’t easy to manage.

“No, it wasn’t easy, because, as I’ve said, they are truly a quality side. I was impressed watching them and studying them. They were very good, but we were solid, determined, focused. We dug in, but we never gave up. These are the matches I like most.”

I want to understand how you managed to get into the head of a player like Matias Soule — getting him to play as a wing-back, tracking back and defending well against crosses. That takes work and I think the credit is yours. You’ve managed to convince a young player — and the whole team — of the need to defend.

“The lad is really open and willing. He suffered a lot earlier in the season when he wasn’t playing. Now I’ve given him my trust and he’s become that unexpected bonus. Down the wing, he takes on his man, gets crosses in and tracks back well. I saw him at home to Napoli: he was always doubling up, helping [Zeki] Celik when [David] Neres was trying to take him on. And he was hard to beat. That gave me the idea. You learn more about your players as you coach and train with them and the lad is really making huge sacrifices. But he’s smart too, because when he runs at you, he knows exactly what he wants to do.”

Are you just that good or have we underestimated your players at times?

“I’d say a coach alone can’t do anything. You need good players. I was lucky to take this team over at a time when they needed a lifeboat, something to pull them out of the quicksand. They listened to me like you’d listen to a father because I’ve always spoken to them from the heart, saying what I wanted from them.

“They’ve been great in terms of following my lead, being committed and never giving up. Now, of course, those who haven’t played will be angry or disappointed, but my staff say it’s a joy to watch them in training. They push themselves to the limit because they want a place in the team — and that makes me so happy.”

A 1–0 win still means three points. That counts, doesn’t it?

 “I always say football is beautiful because there are so many ideas. There are coaches who see things differently and that variety is what makes football so fascinating and exciting. Then during the match, you have to read it, understand what your players can give, how to make it hard for the opponents or at least how to avoid giving them the best conditions to score. We gave [Moise] Kean a few chances, and he’s a great striker, but we defended really well overall.”