Raffaele Palladino challenges Claudio Ranieri: a duel between football masters

Challenges to their own masters are always the most fascinating for young coaches. Raphael Palladino is going through a particularly formative week from this point of view. Between the double confrontation with Manuel Pellegrini comes the one with Claudio Ranieri. He has already had the opportunity to talk about the Chilean engineer. "He is a great player, and obviously you always study the great players. He is a dean of our football, he has over a thousand games in his career. He has coached Manchester City and Real Madrid, that says a lot. It is a source of pride to face him".

Next Thursday he will study how to beat him, in the meantime however the comparison with Claudio Ranieri is equally fascinating and challenging. Perhaps more so. Because the two also worked together on Juventus. Ranieri on the bench, Palladino offensive winger. Season 2007/2008, the Roman coach gave him a lot of space. In the end 31 appearances, 2 goals and 3 assists.

It is not the first time that the young Raffaele challenges the dean Claudio. It will certainly be the last given the imminent retirement of the Roma coach. In the two previous matches last season a victory for Palladino (Monza-Cagliari 1-0) and a draw (Cagliari-Monza 1-1). Enormous respect, as certified by the words in the press conference of the then Monza coach. "I know mister Ranieri well and his principles of play, I know his way of playing and interpreting football. Beyond this, history speaks for him, he is an important piece of history of international football. Obviously I have a good memory with the coach, we spent a year together, a very beautiful year at Juventus. He is a very good coach, to be respected and there is always something to learn from him".

Tonight at the Olimpico the duel will be renewed. Between mutual respect and friendship, there is a lot at stake for the ranking ambitions of the two teams, separated by one point in the standings and with the same European ambitions. Palladino has a career to build, Ranieri has four benches in Serie A left before retiring. Unavoidable. This time there will be no second thoughts.