Marcello Lippi will not be brought in to replace frustrated Roma manager Claudio Ranieri according to Roma director of sport Daniele Prade.
Several recent reports have linked the famous 2006 World Cup winning coach of the Azzurri (and infamous coach of the 2010 first round knockout side) to a league contract with struggling side Roma, but the regular top four club will stick it out with their current manager.
Prade made the following statement about the rumors regarding Lippi taking over control of the club:
I have an immediate response: There’s absolutely nothing to it. We have great confidence, respect and friendship towards Ranieri. We will face whatever problems we have with him. We’ll have time to talk. It will be a sad journey home from Brescia because we come away from this game humiliated.
And as Prade suggested it was a humiliating month for Roma and perhaps after another month like that it might spell the end to Ranieri’s reign. Roma only accumulated a single point over the month long stretch and they lost badly against several winnable opponents. The month of September would start off with a shock embarrassment when the side would lose to Cagliari 5-1 on the road. Then the defense would at least improve in a 2-0 Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich. But in the final two league matches of the month, Roma would fail to capitalize against two beatable opponents. Bologna would draw the side 2-2 at home and to finish off the month Ranieri’s boys would lose on the road to Brescia 2-1.
Currently in 18 place with zero wins this season in four attempts, Roma needs to turn it around immediately. Because with Lippi or without him, somebody else will eventually take over control of the side if they don’t put together a winning streak soon.
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