Claudio Ranieri's

Ranieri feels the heat
Sunday 5 October, 2008

Claudio Ranieri's Juventus job hangs in the balance as the home defeat to Palermo “hurts us deeply.”

The Coach was already under fire after three straight draws against Catania, Sampdoria and BATE Borisov, but the situation deteriorated further this afternoon.

Momo Sissoko was sent off in the first half and they lost 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico to Palermo, ending their unbeaten run in all competition.

“This is a difficult moment, but we want to fight back and have everything needed to do that. The lads did all they could.

“It is a defeat that hurts us deeply and we wanted the victory. It wasn't easy to play with 10 men, but I don't want to seek excuses.”

Alessandro Del Piero had equalised Fabrizio Miccoli's opener after the dismissal, but 19-year-old Levan Mchedlidze grabbed the winner late on with his first Serie A goal.

“We actually did more than Palermo in the second half when they had the extra man, but our opponents deserve credit for striking on the counter-attack. It was a static encounter.”

There has been newspaper talk that Ciro Ferrara is ready to take over, as the 'old guard' is turning against its Coach.

“The veterans are not against me, as was written in the papers. Having said that, the results do not back us up either.”

Ranieri came under fire for his tactical choices recently and left Pavel Nedved and Mauro Camoranesi on the bench.

“Nedved had to recuperate after playing many games, while Camoranesi was not 100 per cent fit and I preferred to keep him for the second half.”

*chn4