Tinkering with the Old Lady should be fun
Putting the Old Lady and the Tinkerman together may sound like a bad Benny Hill sketch, but their ambitions are deadly serious. The partnership between Juventus and Claudio Ranieri will be one of the most scrutinised anywhere in Europe during the forthcoming new season.
At its heart will be a mutual desire to restore reputations at the very highest level. Juventus are back in Serie A after a one-season exile for their involvement in the Calciopoli corruption scandal that stained the club's standing as La Vecchia Signora of the Italian game. For Ranieri, there is the chance to finally exorcise the ghosts of his dismissal by Chelsea in 2004. The 55-year-old last month signed a three-year contract in Turin to replace Didier Deschamps, who led the first part of the restoration process by guiding Juventus to the Serie B championship. Ranieri is now charged with the task of making the club instantly competitive at the sharp end of the top flight. Patience, as he learned at Chelsea, is a very finite commodity among those aiming to be Europe's best.
Ranieri knows qualification for the Champions League will be the minimum aim and believes his revamped squad could push for the Serie A title. The fact that a newly-promoted club are 5/1 third favourites to lift the Scudetto, behind city rivals Inter and AC Milan, is a reliable gauge of expectations at Juventus.
This thrilling type of opportunity would have seemed almost surreally ambitious back in October 2005 when Ranieri spoke to Vladimir Romanov about becoming the new manager of Hearts. His interest swiftly evaporated, amid reports that his financial demands had been too rich for the vaults of Ukio Bankas, and a feeling developed that Ranieri's moment may have passed. He had been out of work for eight months after being sacked by Valencia, whom he joined shortly after his departure from Stamford Bridge.
Ranieri had laid the foundations for future success during a first spell at the Mestalla stadium, but much of that high regard was destroyed amid the chaos of a disastrous return. The wrong players were signed, the wrong tactics employed and the wrong results achieved. Barely half a season had elapsed before he was sent packing. Memories of his bizarre strategy in Chelsea's Champions League semi-final defeat by Monaco, which sealed his eviction in favour of Jose Mourinho, were still fresh in the mind at that time. The Tinkerman, it seemed, could no longer pick the right elements to alter.
Then came his appointment at Parma in February of this year.
The club was shorn of its past financial might and appeared destined to drop into Serie B until Ranieri's arrival. His revival of their fortunes verged on the miraculous. Parma survived in style and Juventus shared the universal opinion that one man was responsible for the excellent achievement.
Ranieri's installation in Turin had a cohesive effect. Gianluigi Buffon and David Trezeguet both ended long-running speculation about their futures by agreeing new contracts with Juventus. Vicenzo Iaquinta, the Italy striker, was purchased from Udinese for £8m to partner Trezeguet, while a further £15.5m was spent on strengthening midfield through the signings of Tiago Mendes and Sergio Almiron.
Ranieri is now demanding central defensive "leaders"
in the mould of John Terry, whom he schooled at Chelsea. That archetype obviously doesn't match Jean-Alain Boumsong, who often stumbled his way through Serie B last season, and the one-time Rangers player will be offloaded if the opportunity arises. Juventus have agreed in principle a £7m deal with Deportivo La Coruna for Jorge Andrade, with Fabio Cannavaro, Andrea Barzagli and Nicolas Burdisso among the other names being considered.
Ranieri's eye for a player may have been afflicted with temporary blindness in his second spell at Valencia, where he relied excessively on Italian imports, but his transfer record at Chelsea is more than respectable.
Frank Lampard, William Gallas, Joe Cole, Petr Cech, Claude Makelele, Arjen Robben and Eidur Gudjohnsen were all bought on Ranieri's beat. Mourinho's achievements in the game are undoubtedly far superior, yet his swift success at Stamford Bridge was aided by the work of his predecessor.
Some part of Ranieri must yearn for the chance to tangle with Chelsea in the Champions League, but first there is domestic business to deal with. The Tinkerman and the Old Lady need to establish a happy household in the months ahead.
By MARK WILSON