Claudio Ranieri is beating the Roma drum playing to the tune of Francesco Totti as he shows his faith in the captain.
Ranieri and Totti have come under scrutiny after they shared a disagreement over tactics a fortnight ago when the playmaker accused his coach of playing Catenaccio.
The tension that followed was shrugged off with scepticism by Roma, and Ranieri insists there are no problems with ‘Er Pupone’ as he prepares for the Cluj clash.
„I think that Totti is an integral and strong player,” Ranieri told the press.
„If I take him off it’s because I think that he can’t finish the game. The other evening I had those sensations and I put them into practice, but I have full confidence in Totti as I do in the other players.
“When a coach has everyone available to him, he doesn’t have difficulties. He can maybe make a mistake by putting in one player instead of another, but difficulties don’t exist. It’s the team that must understand this situation.
“Adriano and Totti are intelligent lads and everything has gone how it should go.”
But Cluj represent European jeopardy for the Lupi.
„Cluj are a diligent and compact team,” Ranieri added.
„They are dangerous on set pieces and so I am concerned. But I coach Roma and we want to win.”
