“I like De Ceglie in any position. He started his career as a winger, while last season at Siena he did very well, but our tactics are slightly different. I am convinced he can also do well as a left-back, but can still improve." said Ranieri.
I think eventually De Ceglie would become a LB. Zambrotta and Grosso used to play LM but their best posiction proved to be WB. The same with De Ceglie, IMHO.
About Giovinco, he is a not 4-4-2 player. The best formation for him, IMHO, is 4-3-3/4-3-2-1 (as in the Azzurrini). He's neither DP's heir nor Nedved's replacement. Clearly, Ranieri wouldn't use him in Nedved's place no matter how much he has added to our attacking when he played that position because Ranieri matters the defence more than creativity in the midfield. So in a 4-4-2 Giovinco could only has his chance in DP's position.
The main problem is not that DP will play until 40 or something similar but Giovinco's performances as a SS didn't convince me much, especially when we played long ball, he suffered a lot. Another problem is that Giovinco is not a goal scorer as DP. Also since he's small and short, he showed some clear disadvantages as a striker. I'm really worried about this kid's future under Ranieri.