In his third managerial role, in the Premier League, having previously taken charge of Chelsea and Leicester City, Claudio Ranieri has a reputation for tinkering with his side.
The 67-year-old Italian is renowned for ringing the changes and during his managerial career has picked up the nickname, Tinkerman.
Interestingly, Ranieri takes over a Fulham side that, this season, has not fielded the same starting eleven for two consecutive matches with Slavisa Jokanovic furiously juggling his squad in order to find a solution to the poor form that sees us occupy the bottom spot, in the Premier League.
Ahead of his first game in charge of Fulham, against Southampton at Craven Cottage, Ranieri, interviewed by the media and as reported by the BBC, has spoken about that very nickname, remarking:
“I am Tinkerman, but I tinker clever.
“It’s important to maintain the same line-up for some matches but you never know, I want everybody available and then I can choose.”
In the coming weeks, as Ranieri settles into his new surroundings and gets to know the squad he has inherited, it’ll be interesting to see if he can settle on a regular starting eleven or whether he’ll fall into the same trap that Jokanovic did.
For me, the old adage about a leopard never changing his spots springs to mind!
COYW’s