Ranieri sacked as Juventus attempt to halt slide
The former Chelsea manager was dismissed after just under two years in charge of Italy’s record champions yesterday due to a dip in form which has jeopardised their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season.
Ciro Ferrara has been placed in charge for the final two games of the season in which Blanc hopes a positive reaction will be evident.
“We have taken this decision as a last resort when the team is not playing well,” explained Blanc at a hastily-arranged press conference in Turin last night.
“We are convinced that this will deliver a clear message to the players: these final two games are fundamental and need to be played to the very best of their ability.
“Everybody has got to take responsibility.”
Ranieri has ultimately paid the price for a decline which commenced shortly after Juve’s elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Chelsea in March.
Although they won their subsequent two games, both by an emphatic 4-1 scoreline against Bologna and Roma, they have failed to pick up maximum points in a game since and also exited the Coppa Italia at the semi-final stage with home and away defeats by Lazio.
Those seven games without a win have seen the Bianconeri slide out of the race for the title and run the risk of missing out on an automatic qualifying berth for the Champions League next season.
Ranieri’s former side Fiorentina, whom he led to Coppa Italia success in 1996, have narrowed the gap on third-placed Juve to just a single point.
Cracks between Ranieri and the team became visible when Alessandro Del Piero and Mauro Camoranesi were substituted at half-time in the recent 2-2 home draw with Lecce.
Strong words flew in the dressing room with goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon storming out to return to the field after only a few minutes of the interval.
David Trezeguet, meanwhile, has not seen eye-to-eye with Ranieri for weeks, which explains his exclusion from the team despite having recovered from the injury which had kept him out since July.
Ranieri said on Sunday that he would be told if he was “no longer wanted” after two years in charge, and less than 24 hours later, the club’s management obliged.
Juventus travel to Siena at the weekend before hosting Lazio on the final day of the season at the Stadio Olimpico.
Only two wins from those games can guarantee Juventus a place in the group stage of the Champions League next season.
