Chương 313: Chapter 313: I'm Sorry I Gloated Over Someone Else's Misfortune
Ranieri was in a bad mood.
Inter Milan had made a dramatic comeback to beat Parma 3-2, Roma defeated Catania 2-0, and Napoli had beaten Lazio 2-0...
Meanwhile, his Juventus could only manage a 0-0 draw against Sampdoria.
And it was at home.
Ranieri felt deeply frustrated by the match.
Twenty-one shots, only four on target—what more could he say with such poor efficiency?
By comparison, in Napoli's match against Lazio, they managed to hit the target with 13 of their 22 shots, clearly far more efficient than Juventus.
This comparison seemed reasonable on the surface, but Ranieri knew it wasn't entirely fair.
Why?
Ranieri explained at the post-match press conference, asking whether Juventus' shooting chances were truly good opportunities or simply forced shots.
If Napoli created better shooting opportunities while Juventus took more desperate shots, then it wasn't just about efficiency, it was about the team's ability to create quality chances.
But then, the media flipped the narrative, accusing his team of lacking creativity.
Even Turin Sports Daily criticized him, claiming that he relied too heavily on physical strength, disregarding technique and creativity. They said his tactics for Juventus were unbalanced between offense and defense, and that his style of play was overly simple and lacked variety...
Ranieri felt as if he wasn't fourth in Serie A, but rather fourth from the bottom!
Of course, in comparison, his situation wasn't all that bad.
Just look at that young manager in Naples Gao Shen who was practically labeled as public enemy number one by the Italian media.
Thinking of Gao Shen's troubles, Ranieri's mood lifted a bit.
But then he remembered Naples, the San Paolo Stadium, and the fans who hadn't even let him crouch in peace…
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, shaving, Ranieri couldn't help but laugh a little wickedly.
"Sorry, but I guess I did gloat!"
…
After shaving, Ranieri went back to his room, got dressed, tied his tie, and put on his watch. Just as he was about to head out, the classic Nokia ringtone in his pocket began to ring.
Ranieri took out his phone and frowned when he saw it was a call from Alessio Secco.
He figured Secco was probably calling to complain about the draw with Sampdoria again.
But there was no avoiding it, so he picked up the call.
"Hello," Ranieri answered.
"Where are you?" Secco's tone sounded urgent.
"I'm at home, about to have breakfast, so..." Ranieri was about to say calmly that if Secco wanted to talk about the disappointing game, it could wait until he finished his breakfast.
But Secco interrupted him before he could finish. "You need to give us an explanation about this matter."
Ranieri thought it was about the league draw. "I know, Alessio. I'll give you an explanation when I get back."
"No, no, Claudio. Right now, I, the chairman, and the general manager are all waiting for your explanation. You need to tell us now immediately—what's going on!"
Ranieri was taken aback, and his tone turned defensive. "I already explained at the post-match press conference. We had an overwhelming advantage, took three times as many shots as the opponent, but our players weren't in great form, and our efficiency was low, which led to us not scoring..."
"Wait, Claudio, this isn't about the league." Secco interrupted him again.
Ranieri was stunned. "It's not about the league?"
Then he asked, confused, "So what is it about?"
"We were hoping you could tell us!" Secco sounded exasperated.
"How should I know?"
"Haven't you read today's paper?"
"Which one?"
"Turin Sports Daily, La Repubblica, Gazzetta dello Sport… honestly, all the major papers, even the main news websites—they're all reporting it. Capanna's affair has been exposed!"
Capanna?
Ranieri's fitness coach, Riccardo Capanna.
What happened with Capanna?
Ranieri's mind started piecing it together.
He immediately left the room, walked quickly to the living room, grabbed a newspaper, and saw the headline on the front page of Turin Sports Daily: "The Mediocrities Destroying Juventus!"
He picked up another paper, Slow Motion, which also had a story about Capanna: "The Man Behind Juventus' Injury Crisis!"
Corriere dello Sport even mocked him, calling Capanna an "unlicensed driver."
Ranieri felt a cold sweat break out.
The thing he had feared most had finally happened!
…
In the blink of an eye, major media outlets across Italy were reporting a shocking story.
The fitness coach Riccardo Capanna, who had been touted as a renowned professor from the University of Genoa, author of 18 highly regarded sports training books, and respected by countless professionals in the industry, didn't actually hold an official coaching license in Italy.
In other words, he had either never taken the exam or had failed it.
Who could believe this? Who could accept it?
Juventus had suffered from a string of injuries this season, with several key players out. Del Piero's resurgence had been credited to his personal trainer, but Camoranesi, Nedved, and others weren't so lucky.
Capanna had joined Juventus under the aura of an expert, gaining respect and high expectations. But as the season went on and injuries piled up, people began to question his methods.
For example, some felt that his training methods didn't take Juventus' specific situation into account, and instead blindly followed Mourinho's methodology, combining ball and running training.
"Juventus players simply can't handle so much ball-oriented training, but he insists that this is the most advanced and reasonable approach," one article criticized.
Ranieri had defended Capanna several times, saying that "we need more time to see the benefits of his fitness regime."
In other words, Capanna needed time.
Initially, people accepted this explanation, and even the murmurs of doubt within the locker room were minimal.
After all, Capanna was a respected academic from the University of Genoa, with many professionals studying his works.
But who would have thought that he didn't even have a coaching certificate?
Now, even those who had initially been on the fence began to question whether this so-called expert professor had only theoretical knowledge, lacking the practical experience necessary to back it up.
The media began to press Ranieri, asking if he had known that Capanna didn't hold a license.
How could someone without a coaching certificate be allowed on Juventus' coaching staff? How could the players trust him and follow his training?
This season, Juventus had yet to reach their peak form and injuries had been a constant issue. Was this related to Capanna's methods?
Had Capanna proved his methods on other teams, even amateur ones?
The media's answer: No.
They couldn't find any relevant evidence.
So, why did Ranieri choose Capanna?
No one knew, because last season, when Ranieri was working at Parma, Capanna was still teaching at the University of Genoa.
…
When Juventus' management held their third meeting to evaluate Ranieri, they were deeply concerned about why he had selected Riccardo Capanna as the team's fitness coach.
Ranieri arrived at Juventus headquarters early in the morning, without even having breakfast.
When questioned, he repeatedly insisted that there was no issue with Capanna's professional knowledge. He said he had carefully considered the decision to invite Capanna to join his coaching staff, and it wasn't a hasty move as the media claimed.
As for why Capanna didn't have a license?
Ranieri explained that Capanna had never considered pursuing a career in coaching, so he hadn't taken the certification exams.
But now the issue was clear.
Riccardo Capanna was a renowned professor in the Italian football community, his works studied by many, but he lacked a coaching certificate and any practical experience on the front lines.
Could he be trusted?
"I trust him!" Ranieri declared firmly, standing by his choice.
The Juventus board, however, was in turmoil. They had never encountered such a baffling issue before.
There had been cases of "unlicensed drivers" in Serie A, typically involving famous players-turned-coaches who started working before obtaining their certification.
But there was no case quite like Capanna's.
Especially not for a top club like Juventus.
It was precisely for this reason that no one had questioned Capanna's credentials before this scandal broke.
Because having a coaching certificate was seen as a basic, minimum requirement.
"Claudio," General Manager Blanc said sternly, looking at Ranieri, "Have you considered the implications? Since this summer, we've seen injury after injury in our squad. We've long suspected Capanna's methods, and now this comes to light. How are we supposed to handle it? What will the players think?"
Ranieri knew that the exposure of this issue would have a massive impact on Juventus, and on himself.
But he continued to insist, "I still believe he's a very competent and professional fitness coach!"
In truth, he had no choice but to stand by his decision.
Firing Capanna would be disastrous for Ranieri at this point.
Juventus, too, had to think carefully about the ramifications of the whole situation.
Ranieri had been hired by Blanc, and with this controversy unfolding, Secco naturally wanted to minimize the damage. But if the situation spiraled out of control and affected Juventus' season, Secco's own career would be at risk as well.
After all, the players he'd brought in so far this season had already drawn criticism.
In this regard, he and Blanc were effectively in the same boat, sharing the burden of this crisis.
But even so, how could they justify this to the players? How would they appease the media?
And, more importantly, they would have to answer to the club's top brass.
To make matters worse, their next opponent in the Italian Cup was Napoli!
It seemed that when it rained, it poured.
***
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