LONELY AS A CLAUDIO
Job is like skydiving without a parachute says Ranieri
CLAUDIO RANIERI says being a manager is like jumping out of a plane – without knowing if your parachute is going to open.
‘The Tinkerman’ may get a chance to put his theory to the test if Watford lose against Manchester United tomorrow and the Hornets drop into the bottom three for the first time this season.
Ranieri, whose three previous jobs in the Premier League all ended in the sack, joked: “Sometimes they don’t even give you a parachute!”
Three defeats in his first four games at Vicarage Road have given the 70-year-old Italian an early taste of the pressure which makes him “come alive”.
But Ranieri insists the job turns him into an “ice man” who learns to solve problems on his lonely beat.
He said: “Managers are always under pressure – in every country, at every moment – but that is our life.
“We are alone, we have to fight and we have to be very clear with our players. You can win or lose, but it is important that your conscience is clear.
“My life is a pressure, I love this kind of pressure and I come alive for this kind of duel between a big team and the underdog.”
Asked what he meant by the feeling of being “alone” on the touchline, the Watford head coach said: “When you take this job, of course I know there is a club behind me and players who can express my ideas.
“But a manager is a man alone. I remember when I did the professional course in Italy, the tutor said, ‘A football manager is like a parachutist, but you don’t know if the parachute is going to open.’
“Sometimes, the people don’t even give me a parachute, but it is also good to be alone when you have to make every decision under a lot of pressure.
“You learn how to show the character to be an ice man – calm enough to look at the problem and what lies behind it.
“Your coaching team is also very important, and I have a lot of support now, but when I started as a manager there was just me and a goalkeeping coach – no fitness coach, no video analyst, nothing, nothing, nothing. I did everything.”
United have taken just four points from a possible 18, slipping nine points off the pace in the title race, and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is feeling the heat at Old Trafford.
Ranieri, who has only beaten United twice in 16 previous meetings, said: “I don’t know if there is ever a good time to play against Manchester United but this is our turn and we are ready to fight against one of the biggest teams in Europe.
“I want my players to show character and the arrogance to do their best.”