Ranieri is furious at the defeat with Spal. The coach's criticisms are aimed at 5 players in particular: the midfielders Cristante and Nzonzi, the Dutch duo of Karsdorp and Kluivert and the Czech striker Schick. The team is nervous and, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport, Saturday in the locker room there was a heated discussion between a couple of players during the half time break.

If they don’t qualify for next season’s Champions League, the Giallorossi will have to look to the transfer market to raise funds. The candidates to be sacrificed on the altar of the budget are: Manolas (who has a release clause of €36 million) Pellegrini (he also has a release clause, this one €30 million), Under (a target for a host of European clubs, especially Arsenal and Bayern), Florenzi (his sale would be a pure capital gain, as he is a product of the youth academy), Dzeko and obviously Zaniolo, the prized asset of the Giallorossi, who the club see as their future and so would be hesitant to let him go.

For the manager, as an alternative to  first choice Sarri (Chelsea), there are two other options, Gasperini (Atalanta) and Giampaolo (Sampdoria). For the role of sporting director the name Petrachi (Torino) is seen as being the most likely outcome, but there is alaso an outside chance of Sabatini from Sampdoria.