Yahoo News Claudio Ranieri reveals biggest regret and what he'd 'gladly' swap with Leicester City title
Claudio Ranieri has pinpointed tactical changes and the deployment of N’Golo Kante as the secrets behind Leicester City’s title win eight years ago.
But the Italian says he would “gladly exchange” his momentous triumph with the Foxes for having Serie A success with Roma on his CV. Now he has announced his retirement from management, he says that is his one regret.
Ranieri memorably steered City to the Premier League crown in 2015/16. But he could not match that achievement in Italy with Roma, who he grew up supporting and had two spells in charge of.
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The 72-year-old has now called time on his career, with Italian side Cagliari proving to be his final port of call. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport (via Football Italia) as he looked back on his life as a manager, he said of City’s title win: “When I arrived, the team had only just secured safety in the Premier League.
“All I did was change the system to 4-4-2, changed the full-backs and put N’Golo Kante in. He was the inexhaustible engine of the team, because he pressed, fought hard, pushed forward, defended. At one point I thought he might be capable of both putting in the cross and getting on the end of it to head in during the same move.”
Asked if he had any career regrets, Ranieri said: “Not winning the Scudetto with my Roma. I can say it today: I would’ve gladly exchanged the Leicester title with a Roma Scudetto.”
Ranieri is convinced he has made the “right decision” to step away from the game. He now has plenty of memories to look back on.
“If I had different agents, maybe some family help along the way, I could’ve done something more in my career,” he told reporters at the Festival della Serie A in Parma. “I adapted to a few different situations, having to make do with what I had.
“First and foremost, I had fun, so much fun. For example, I didn’t know Spanish, English, French, I had to learn them all.”
