Ranieri proud to take over at Inter

Posted Saturday, September 24, 2011 by Supersport.com

Claudio Ranieri says he is proud to be the new coach at Inter Milan having previously battled the nerazzurri for the scudetto title.

Ranieri locked horns with previous Inter coaches Roberto Mancini and Jose Mourinho in fighting for the Serie A crown when coach of first Juventus and then Roma.

But now he is focussed on turning around the 2010 Champions League winners' miserable start to the season.

"I'm in this job for the emotions it gives you, I'm very happy and proud to be here," he said during his first press conference as Inter boss, ahead of Saturday's trip to Bologna.

"The reason I've been called is because there have been problems, some bad luck and some injuries which contributed to the change of coach.

"It's always disappointing to change coaches but that's part of our job.

"The most important thing is to find some self esteem and start picking up points."

Under Gian Piero Gasperini, Inter lost four out of five official matches this season, drawing the other, and they currently sit in the Serie A relegation zone after three matches.

But they will have to try to secure their first win of the season without injured playmaker Wesley Sneijder and suspended centre-back Andrea Ranocchia.

"Wesley already had some problems, I told him to take it easy but he's keen and he felt some pain," said Ranieri.

"I don't want to risk him on Saturday, I prefer to have him available for the trip to Moscow."

Inter don't just need to recover their league form quickly, they are also under pressure in the Champions League having lost their opening game 1-0 at home to group outsiders Trabzonspor.

A defeat in Moscow against CSKA on Tuesday would put Inter's qualification hopes under serious threat.

Quite apart from turning around Inter's fortunes on the pitch, Ranieri is also wary about his public image amongst the nerazzurri fans.

The former Chelsea boss had several spats with his successor in west London Mourinho when he was coach of Roma and the self-styled 'Special One' was in charge at the San Siro.

Mourinho is a legend at Inter and Ranieri moved to dilute talk of animosity between the pair.

"I don't want to cancel anything from the past, (Helenio) Herrera and Mourinho are unforgettable parts of Inter's history," said Ranieri.

"The media thought we (he and Mourinho) were enemies, that's true, but I've always held Jose in high regard and we always greeted each other with respect."