Ranieri ‘not satisfied’ with Dovbyk, Roma’s Champions League goal ‘not realistic’ | OneFootball

Claudio Ranieri ‘honestly’ admits he would not bet on Roma’s Champions League qualification and insists he’s still not satisfied with Artem Dovbyk.

The Giallorossi coach held a press conference on the eve of a home Serie A game against Hellas Verona.

His Roma side sit five points below the top four with just six games remaining. Despite an impressive comeback in the second part of the season, Ranieri is unconvinced his players can qualify for the Champions League this term.

“Would you bet a euro on us qualifying for the Champions League? You want to lose it? Let’s be honest. If we make it to the Champions League, it’s because the others collapse and we pull off a masterpiece,” the coach said at a press conference on Friday via Il Romanista.

Ranieri ‘not satisfied’ with Dovbyk, Roma’s Champions League goal ‘not realistic’

UDINE, ITALY – JANUARY 26: Artem Dovbyk of AS Roma looks on during the Serie A match between Udinese and AS Roma at Stadio Friuli on January 26, 2025 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

“It’s not realistic. We must be serious with the fans. I’ve always said: ‘Let’s give our best and see what happens.’ We’ve given everything. The team has made an incredible comeback and I’m not trying to take the credit. Let’s hold onto these guys who are fighting. I ask the fans to support us in this final stretch. It’s crucial that they understand the situation we’re in.

“Physically, we’re doing fine, but we’re not at our peak form,” Ranieri continued.

“You could see that we used to play with two touches, everything flowed naturally before, but now we are not doing that. Credit to our opponents because Juventus and Lazio [Roma’s latest opponents] are great teams. This group is giving everything. It can be a crucial moment.”

Ranieri has often been critical of Ukraine international Dovbyk and the support provided by the ex-La Liga Pichici is still unconvincing, according to the 73-year-old coach.

“There isn’t a single person to blame on the team. It’s always 50-50,” he said.

“He should make himself available more often, and the team should find him more when he makes forward runs. What I keep telling him is that scoring is fine, but beyond the goal, he has to perform, fight, press and be visible. He’s working on it, but I am still not satisfied, and I think he’s not either. He has to give more.”

Ranieri said Dovbyk and Stephan El Shaarawy trained separately today, but they will be available tomorrow. However, whether they will start is still unclear.

Roma players upset the Italian coach during Sunday’s derby against Lazio, conceding another goal from a set piece.

“I was very angry and really disappointed. We need to work harder,” he admitted.

“We can only fix these things with hard work. We’ve conceded nine or ten goals from set pieces, and a team that wants to do well cannot allow that.”

Lastly, Ranieri admitted not being worried by talks over Mile Svilar’s contract extension. “No, because the player wants to stay here. Naturally, his agent is doing his job, and we are doing our’s.”