Soccer: AS Roma happy in second place
Ranieri says Serie A leader Inter is 'on another planet'
08 February, 12:32
(ANSA) - Rome, February 8 - As Roma on Monday found itself
basking in the unexpected glory of being alone in second place,
behind runaway leader Inter Milan but ahead of such powerhouses
as AC Milan and the faded Juventus of Turin.After a false start to the season, which saw coach Luciano Spaletti almost immediately replaced by Roman Claudio Ranieri, Roma has slowly and steadily moved up the table despite injuries for some of its key players, including captain Francesco Totti, and questionable choices during the transfer season.
After sharing second place with Milan going in into Sunday's match, Roma scored a crucial away win at Fiorentina while Milan failed to keep the winning pace of its crosstown rivals and was held at a goalless draw in Bologna.
This was Ranieri's 19th match in a row without losing and put AS Roma two points clear of Milan, which however has a game in hand.
Although Inter remains eight points clear in first place, with a game in hand, many Roma fans are entertaining dreams of winning the coveted scudetto and more than one showgirl has promised to strip down at the victory celebrations if they do win the championship. However, Ranieri has no such illusions and told the sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport "we are not the anti-Inter team, Inter is on another planet, they're too strong".
The Monday sports insert of the Rome daily Il Messaggero quoted Ranieri as saying "no one's dreaming, we're all wide awake. We're not catching up to Inter but only trying to keep our own pace".
"We should just enjoy this amazing moment. We want to be among the top three at the end of the season and make it to the Italian Cup finals. That would be a result well worth celebrating," the Roma coach said.
Inter's 3-0 thrashing of Cagliari was its ninth victory in a row between first division and cup matches and again saw a goal from Goran Pandev, who transferred to the Milan side in January.
Pandev was able to move to Inter after winning a legal battle with Lazio which had kept the Macedonia striker sidelined, which may in part explained why the Rome team wallows in the relegation zone, third from last after Sunday's home defeat against relegation companion Catania.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter coach Jose Mourinho "who is a great lover of English soccer, must have been thinking of Bobby Charlton, the legendary Manchester United and England 1966 world champion, when he placed Pandev in exactly the same position that was so lucky for Bobby".
This position, the sports daily explained, put the striker in the center but behind the front line, from where he could move up when he had the ball or was about to be set up. He then falls back when he doesn't have a chance to score to help out the midfield.
The next round of Serie A play will see Inter away at Napoli, which on Sunday lost away at Udinese and fell off pace with the other teams seeking a Champions League berth, while Roma will receive Palermo and Milan will host Udinese.
photo:AS Roma players celebrating winning goal
