LATEST SPORTS NEWS

Maurizio Sarri spoke in Italian in his first press conference but got his message across – and he could make a refreshing change at Chelsea if given time

When Claudio Ranieri first arrived in the Premier League, he caused a minor stir because of his inability to speak to the media in English. “Ranieri finds trouble in translation” was the headline in the Guardian after Chelsea lost to Everton in November 2000, which goes to show how tough it was for the affable Italian during his early days as an outsider in a strange and suspicious country.

The man who would eventually lead Leicester City to the title was the Manuel to English football’s Basil Fawlty, raising the hackles with his inability to communicate with players and supporters. Yet at least Ranieri’s insistence on speaking to the media in Italian gave rise to one of the great comedy episodes. The story goes that when Ranieri had finished giving a detailed three-minute answer, his interpreter would nod and say “It’s a game of two halves” in English.

Continue reading...

from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2uAiJbM