No quick cure in sight for Roma's woes

The 2009/10 Serie A is only two match-days old but we already have a change of coach as Luciano Spalletti quit Roma after four years, blaming his team's uninspiring start for his decision.

The news really came as no big surprise as the ex-Ancona and Udinese coach was already on the verge of stepping down in the close season following Roma's limited involvement on the transfer market.

One finds it hard to believe that Spalletti only left because of a poor run of play as Roma went down to ambitious clubs Genoa and Juventus in their first two outings of the new season.

During his tenure, Spalletti's Roma went through similar dark patches but the coach never threw in the towel. On the contrary, Roma always bounced back and turned threats into opportunities.

In this regard, Roma's 1-7 debacle to Man. United in the Champions League and the disastrous opening to the 2005/06 Serie A spring readily to mind.

After that poor start of four years ago, Roma went on to establish a then Serie A record of 11 straight wins.

In the following year, the Giallorossi went a step further and lifted the Coppa Italia at the expense of Inter. Roma also claimed the Supercup in the beginning of the following season and retained the Italian cup in May 2008, once again after beating Inter.

So, how could two defeats, against such quoted opponents, convince Spalletti that his days in the capital were over?

Indeed, much more was behind Spalletti's resignation.

Despite his lucrative long-term contract with the cash-strapped club, Spalletti, perhaps, deemed it fit to leave after realising that, with the players he had, Roma faced a mammoth task to attain a top-four finish and, possibly, enjoy good runs in the Europa League and Coppa Italia.

Although Spalletti's decision is commendable, because he overlooked the financial aspect of his own contract, the decision to quit was ill-timed. Many were surprised by the fact that it took two games for Spalletti to realise that his side was way off the likes of Inter and Juventus.

For the club, it would have been more beneficial had Spalletti resigned in the close season to enable his successor - Claudio Ranieri - to conduct the pre-season in his own way and give him time to settle down in his new environs.

But Ranieri now has to continue from where Spalletti left.

The team is largely unchanged with respect to last season. The morale of the players is low to say the least and there is pressure on them to start delivering because Roma cannot afford to lose further ground, particularly with city rivals Lazio.

Ranieri cannot rush into decisions that may prove detrimental. Roma have been playing with a 4-2-3-1 system for four years and this module should constitute Ranieri's starting point.

In his first meeting with the media, Ranieri - an ex-Roma defender himself - acknowledged that Spalletti's team played the most pleasing-to-the-eye football in the Serie A.

The wily 57-year-old was also quick to point out that he intends to do some adjustments to Roma's approach, perhaps shifting to his preferred 4-4-2.

However, in reality, Roma's problems are more deep-rooted than the change of coach or an eventual shift in the playing system.

We all know that current owners - the Sensi family - do not possess the financial muscle to bankroll the purchase of quality players anymore. This way, the team can't challenge for the honours.

A decision has to be taken immediately whether the Sensi family is willing to sell to any prospective bidders. The longer an eventual change in ownership the more arduous will Ranieri's task be to steer Roma away from troubled waters.

Many are backing Ranieri to help Roma progress after an indifferent start but he needs the backing of a strong club set-up for him and the team to do well.