Francesco Totti downplays rift with Claudio Ranieri
AS Roma's captain, Francesco Totti, has insisted that the tactical disagreement between him and manager Claudio Ranieri will not have any negative implications for the club.
Totti criticized Ranieri for employing overly defensive tactics against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday, saying that the manager had chosen an outdated formation. Last season's Serie
A runners-up largely failed to attack in the 2–0 defeat.
Ranieri declined to comment on his skipper's criticism, and Totti has now said that the implications of their disagreement was exaggerated in the press.
"Now to avoid further misinterpretation from the reality, I want to clarify with dutiful respect everything that has been written," said Totti, adding tongue-in-cheek that he "simply responded on a statement
with a typical Roman response, which as the Romans know is expressive and colourful."
Rather than a rift over the team's formation, the 33-year-old said that he and Ranieri had entered a fruitful discussion. "There is a dialogue between the player and the coach, especially if you're the
captain of the team. This happens always, regardless of trends and results. It's a daily and constant communication."
Totti respected as captain
As part of the organisation since 1992, Totti is immeasurably respected by the Roma fans, who value his appraisal of any manager. Speaking directly to the club's fans, Totti said that neither Ranieri's
loyalty to the club nor the strong relationship between the pair should be questioned.
"Ranieri is above a simple comparison, we have a very close relationship — ours is a Roman DNA, a common thread that binds those who speak the same language, we understand the situation and don't need
to preamble."
Roma host Bologna in the Serie A on Sunday. With only one point from two games so far, Ranieri's team will be keen to collect their first win of the season, no matter what tactics they use.
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