Can Claudio Ranieri keep Fulham up?
It is not even three years since Claudio Ranieri pulled off one of the most remarkable feats in the modern era of football by guiding Leicester City to the Premier League title.
Exactly how it happened still seems a bit of a mystery and even Ranieri must pinch himself when recalling the events of that year. But somehow, everything fell into place, the stars aligned and the Foxes were crowned champions of England.
The task ahead
In contrast, the task of keeping Fulham in the top flight must seem simple. The newly promoted club spent big in the summer, but failed to replicate the kind of form that won them plaudits in their Championship promotion campaign. As a result, Slaviša Jokanović’s three-year reign was brought to an end and the club turned to the Italian miracle worker to revive their fortunes.
After four games at the helm, Ranieri’s side are sat at the bottom of the Premier League table, but they are only five points adrift of 14th-ranked Cardiff City and a win could lift them out of the drop zone. Since his arrival, things seem to have improved and you can click here to find the latest prices from redbet, showing Fulham’s odds to be relegated have shortened slightly.
His trophy cabinet suggests he can do it
Ranieri has form when it comes to taking newly promoted teams to greater heights. In 1993, he joined a Fiorentina side languishing in the Serie B and led them to promotion by winning the title at the first attempt. He then led them to the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana titles and guided them to fourth place in only their second term back in the top flight.
In February 2007, he took over a Parma side threatened with relegation and led them to safety by winning seven and drawing three of their last 16 games. At the end of that season, he was offered the chance to coach Juventus. He accepted and led them to third place in Serie A and Champions League qualification just a year after they had been competing in Serie B following the 2006 Calciopoli scandal.
In 2012, he took over at French second tier club Monaco and led them to Ligue 1, after achieving a Ligue 2 win for the club, for the first time in its history. The following season, he guided them to second place in Ligue 1 behind serial champions Paris Saint-Germain.
But it hasn’t all been a bed of roses
Ranieri’s high points have often been followed by slumps that have cost him his job. His biggest problem has been maintaining high standards once they have been met. His spell at Leicester offers a perfect example of that.
In February 2017, just nine months after leading Leicester to their extraordinary title, the club was sat just a point above the drop zone with 13 games left to play and Ranieri was sacked.
The Italian brings a wealth of experience and has good memories of working in West London from his time at Chelsea. He began his spell at Fulham with a win and almost doubled their point’s tally in his first three games in charge. If he can guide them to safety, it will be another good job done for the coach they once called the ‘Tinkerman’.
