Ranieri calm ahead of Napoli clash

Inter coach Claudio Ranieri does not believe Sunday’s Serie A encounter against Napoli will be his last in charge of the club.

Ranieri, who only joined the club at the end of September, made a solid start to his career at San Siro, lifting the club from 17th position to Champions League qualification contention.

But the Italian’s fortunes at the club have taken a turn for the worse in the past month with the side losing six of their last seven fixtures in all competitions.

The 60-year-old is reportedly close to losing his job at the 2010 Champions League winners yet the coach himself is confident he will remain in his role beyond this weekend.

“I don’t think that this could be my last game in charge. I do not feel at risk and I feel the confidence of the club in me. We’ve got to get out of this situation,” Ranieri told reporters.

“We are only a point behind Napoli, even if they are fired up right now. I must admit I’ve never had such a bleak period in my career with six defeats.”

Despite the club’s shocking run of results, the former Roma coach was positive when speaking about the team’s 1-0 defeat to Marseille in their Champions League clash earlier in the week.

“I liked the team against Marseille on Wednesday and was very happy with their show of character, especially at a time when things aren’t going well. We must continue with this character and determination,” Ranieri said.

“Wesley Sneijder had a great game in France and I’ve never seen him work so hard. He is a trequartista, but I asked him to run more without the ball.”