1. sports
Claudio Ranieri admits he would love to
coach Italy one day but has committed
his immediate future to a Leicester City
side that, he believes, could spring a few
surprises in next season’s Champions
League.
“I would never rule it out. I would love
it. And Leicester’s blue shirts are already
quite similar to those of Italy,” Ranieri said.
The 64-year-old Italian was awarded the
Bearzot Prize for sporting excellence, but,
most notably, the Palma d’Oro (Golden
Palm) by the Italian Olympic Committee,
following in the footsteps of 2006 World
Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi.
It came amid the presence of Italian
football federation president Carlo
Tavecchio, who said he wants to see
Ranieri
won’t
rule out
Azzurri job
Ranieri steering Italy to a fifth World Cup
crown. But Ranieri is staying put for now,
as he believes Leicester’s fairy tale could
be extended to next season’s Champions
League.
“I know a lot of (European) clubs will be
thinking, ‘it’s okay, it’s only Leicester’. But
we’ll be playing the Champions League
with exactly the same attitude.” — AFP.
Report by AQIL HAZIQ MAHMUD
haziqm@sph.com.sg
They are the giants of English
football, having won the league
a record 20 times, in addition
to a trio of European Cups.
But the Manchester United side led
by Louis van Gaal have come under
fire this season, following a series of
underwhelming performances and
poor results.
Former United star Paul Scholes
Van Gaal criticism fair
PhOTOs: sTRAITs TIMEs, REuTERs
100 times for Korea and starred for
them in the 2002, 2006 and 2010
World Cup Finals, believes it will be a
decent season for van Gaal if United
win the FA Cup and qualify for next
season’s Champions League.
“How he finishes this season is
very important. If he finishes fourth
and wins a trophy, it could be an
okay season,” said the Korean, who
is the club’s global ambassador.
not sAtisfied
“I know fans still won’t be satis-
fied with the performances over the
whole season, but it’s still an okay re-
sult for van Gaal and United.”
Park, who is in town to promote
men’s hair care brand Clear, says
the make-up of the current United
squad differs vastly from when he
was there.
“When I was there, there were
many players who were with United
throughout their whole careers,” he
said. “Those senior players know the
United way and they can spread their
experience to other players who join
from other countries or clubs.
“They inspire the way we have to
play at United, and that can help the
new signings adapt so we don’t lose
our philosophy and winning mental-
ity.”
Park said senior players like Eng-
land captain Wayne Rooney, whom
he feels can still make a big impact
at the Euros next month, should stay
at the club.
“England have young players who
have performed very well, but they
still need someone who can control
players on the pitch, and Rooney is
a tough man for the England team,”
said Park, who played with Rooney
for seven years.
“If we keep (Michael) Carrick and
Rooney, they can slowly spread their
influence to players, and that should
be better for the next season.”
If it happens, and with some as-
tute signings, Park feels the Red Dev-
ils have what it takes to become title
contenders again next season .
“I believe we can make it, but we
need to prepare well in pre-season
and maybe buy a couple of players to
replace some players,” he said.
“We need a central defender and
one striker, but it depends on who
the manager thinks is good for the
team.”
ex-United
midfielder
Park says
fA Cup win
and fourth
spot will
save season
has blasted van Gaal’s boring tactics
and a huge swathe of the club’s fans
have blamed the Dutchman for their
unimpressive campaign and the lack
of a challenge for the English Premier
League title.
Former Red Devils midfielder Park
Ji Sung says the criticism of the man-
ager has been fair.
“Manchester United fans’ expec-
tations are high, and they deserve
to have that because we’ve been for
many, many years at the top level of
football,” he told The New Paper at
The Westin yesterday.
“The fans expect much of van Gaal,
because he’s done very well with Bar-
celona and Bayern Munich in his
career, so that’s why the fans’ ex-
pectations are even higher than he
thought.”
Sir Alex Ferguson bought Park
from PSV Eindhoven in 2005 and the
South Korean played 134 matches for
the Red Devils, winning four league
titles and a winner’s medal in the
2008 Champions League.
He left United for Queens Park
Rangers in 2012 and retired from
football in 2014.
Park, who has also been capped
“The fans
expect much
of van Gaal
(above),
because he’s
done very
well with
Barcelona
and Bayern
Munich in his
career, so
that’s why
the fans’
expectations
are even
higher than
he thought.”
— Park Ji Sung
(main photo)
6
Wednesday, May 11 2016 THE NEW PAPER