Totti critical of Ranieri's defensive tactics
Following AS Roma's away defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Francesco Totti, Roma’s captain, criticized the tactics employed by manager Claudio Ranieri, who declined to comment.
Roma travelled to Munich on the back of a 5–1 defeat at Cagliari, and Ranieri instructed his team to defend, above all else, against the German champions.
The Italians managed to keep a clean sheet until Thomas Muller scored in the 79th minute, but Roma never equalised after Bayern opened their account.
"We did not play football, we just thought about defending. We always had 10 men behind the ball, and I think that we cannot win games this way," Totti told
Il Corriere dello Sport.
While the Roma captain has featured in various catenaccio formations over the years, both for the national team and his club, Totti said he believes the overwhelmingly defensive style of playing is outdated at this point. "We played the old catenaccio. We
defended for the entire game, not even having a shot on goal. Now we are here speaking about another loss. Until now things have not gone well. I hope this changes soon, starting from Bologna on Sunday."
Ranieri prefers to look ahead
Speaking to the press before the team's trip back to Rome, Ranieri declined to comment on his captain's criticism, choosing instead to focus on the domestic challenges ahead.
"This is why sport is nice within three days of a restart," Ranieri said. "I have had many moments like these in my career, but we have wasted the chance to get back on track."
Ranieri took charge of Roma in September last year. While his first season as manager saw the team improve its form significantly, reaching second place in two domestic cups and the Serie A, the pressure is on him to deliver titles this season.
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