Ranieri and Gasperini are fighting for control at struggling Roma

ROME (AP) — Last June, Claudio Ranieri and Gian Piero Gasperini sat smiling side by side, two of Italy’s most respected coaches united in their efforts to make Roma a Serie A contender again.

Less than a year later, Ranieri and Gasperini are fighting over control of the capital club, which is in sixth place and at risk of missing the Champions League for a seventh straight year.

Ranieri stepped down as Roma coach after last season when the team missed out on qualifying for the Champions League by one point. He then became a special adviser for the team’s American owners and was involved in picking Gasperini as his successor.

“We had a list of five or six coaches, three didn’t come and in the end the club made the choice,” Ranieri said last week. “We selected (Gasperini) because of what he did in Atalanta with his young players. He and I chose the players. … We gave him a squad that finished within one point of the Champions League last season with plenty of young players to promote.”

Gasperini, however, has expressed disappointment with some of the players that Roma signed — with the exception of Donyell Malen, who has 10 goals in 12 Italian league matches since transferring from Aston Villa in January.

“If I am consulted again I will stay on,” Ranieri said. “Otherwise I could also leave. I love Roma and I am ready to step aside as senior adviser, just as I had already done before as coach.”

Asked about Ranieri’s comments after a 3-0 victory over Pisa last Friday, Gasperini said the only player that he asked for and arrived during the offseason was Brazilian full back Wesley.

Asked to explain why Roma has struggled to produce goals — something uncharacteristic for his coaching style — Gasperini said, “I asked for help in attack … (because) I’ve always pushed for improving the level in that area. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen and that’s why we had some issues."

Up next for Roma is a visit by Atalanta, his former squad, on Saturday.

“I left a very strong squad and I know their worth,” Gasperini said of Atalanta, which is one spot behind Roma in the standings.

Key matchups

Inter Milan striker Pio Esposito will face his brother, Sebastian Esposito, when the Serie A leader hosts Cagliari on Friday. Both players are forwards. A third Esposito brother, Salvatore, is a midfielder for Sampdoria in Serie B.

Players to watch

AC Milan winger Rafael Leao was whistled off the field in a loss to Udinese last weekend in what may have been a breaking point with the Rossoneri’s supporters. Leão was the Serie A player of the season when Milan won Serie A in 2022 but his form has been a constant issue ever since.

Out of action

Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni shouldered a lot of the blame for Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup when he received a costly red card, and he continues to struggle in Serie A, too. Bastoni’s stumbles mean he’ll likely be rested against Cagliari as Inter looks to defend its nine-point lead over defending champion Napoli with six rounds remaining.

Off the field

Giovanni Malagò and Giancarlo Abete are the leading candidates to replace Gabriele Gravina as the president of the Italian soccer federation (FIGC).

Malagò led the Italian Olympic Committee for 12 years, is an IOC member, and was president of the local organizing committee for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Abete was FIGC president from 2007-14 and resigned when Italy was eliminated after the group stage of the 2014 World Cup. He's now president of Italy's amateur soccer league.

Gravina stepped down after Italy lost a World Cup qualifying playoff to Bosnia and Herzegovina last month.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer