Ranieri: ‘If the players listen to me, we will find a solution’

The third game was not lucky for either Claudio Ranieri. Atalanta was better than his team and deservedly took all three points from Olimpico. For Ranieri, it was the third game since returning to the Vučica bench, he registered his second defeat, and he has another draw.

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“We fought while we had the strength. We must not forget that we played on Thursday night and that we arrived in Rome at five in the morning on Friday. I don’t want to use that as an excuse, because I still think we did a good job of regeneration. Gasperini could make the changes he wanted, and I, for example, didn’t have any at my disposal box-to-box midfielder, because Pisilli was suspended.”

Ranieri added that he doesn’t hold anything against his players.

“I was satisfied at the beginning of the second half, because we had chances to take the lead. It’s a shame Dovbyk didn’t score, as he and Dybala combined well on several occasions. Sometimes things just don’t go your way.”

He praised the opposing team.

“Atalanta has everything to fight for the title. I don’t want to praise them too much, but I think they are ready for it. If the title comes, it must be a great season because there are several great teams at the top.”

Ranieri still thinks he can turn the season around.

“If the players listen to me, as was the case in the last games, we will find a solution. We continue to fight and do not plan to give up under any circumstances. I have never accepted players who give up easily. We have to fight for every ball. All the changes I made were the result of fatigue or pain. I congratulate Atalanta, but I also want to congratulate my players for their fight.”

Roma is in 15th place in Serie A with 13 points won in 14 games. On Saturday, December 7, they have a match against Lecce.