Ranieri hails “desire and dedication” at Udinese

Having set his team a target of 52 points for the campaign, Claudio Ranieri knows his players are just a win in their final match from achieving just that.

Speaking after Doria picked up 3 points away at Udinese, he said: “It was a big win today, because we really want to get to 52 points. I was keen to see the boys show seriousness, desire and dedication to the job they’ve been doing since I’ve been here.

“We’ve got one match left. It won’t be easy but we’ll be ready and we’ll fight and run until the last second.”

On Sunday’s contest, the coach commented: “The first half was a little too tactical but I was confident that in the last 30 minutes we’d keep pushing.

“I’d told the team I didn’t want to concede in these final two games. Udinese’s first shot on goal came after about an hour. I must say my players deserve all the results they’re getting.

“As for the penalty, I hoped Fabio [Quagliarella] would score. I opted to rest him for the first half and a good part of the second, so we’d have him fresh in the final 20 minutes, when he came on.

“We’re now safe in ninth position. We need to say goodbye to our fans in the final game in the best way possible.”