After accepting a return to the Premier League via Fulham Claudio Ranieri is looking up to Liverpool to turn things at his new home.
Ranieri, who is not new in England after managing Chelsea and guiding Leicester City to their maiden league triumph, replaced Slavisa Jokanovic and is now looking to fix the defence from leaking easy goals.
“Fulham concede a lot of goals — a lot of goals. I’m an Italian manager, and for us Italians, it’s important for us to keep clean sheets.
“We have to play in a defensive way, and when I say defensive I mean from the strikers. Everybody has to be involved, the same way as we have to score goals, right from the goalkeeper. Look at Liverpool’s first goal. It started from a long pass from Allison and then a goal.” Ranieri told ESPN.
The former Greece coach warned that the fairytale he spearheaded at the King power stadium might not be repeated at the Craven Cottage.
“I have to organise something more — the pizza is not enough now. Let me think … everybody to McDonald’s. I have to forget about what I did at Leicester. We have to look forward, forward, forward. I’m an ambitious man.
“We have to work hard. Leicester was a bonus, a fairytale. Forget it. Don’t think about a miracle — it’s important to think about a battle, and it’s important to be ready. The players, the fans, the club have to be together.
“I have a lot of good players, but now I have to choose the players who will give me a fighting spirit. It’s important to make the players understand my philosophy, play well, but when they lose the ball I want to see them like pirates,” Ranieri added.
