Replacing a club legend and iconic mystique like Javier Zanetti was always going to be impossible for any player least to say Andrea Ranocchia. Having spent his whole European career in Inter Milan and captaining the club for over 15 years and being the first captain and club to win the Italian Seria A, Coppa Italia and UEFA Champions League, replacing him was a mission impossible for any player. While the happy retirement of Javier Zanetti afforded his applause and praise, it soon turned to a sad beginning for new captain Andrea Ranocchia.

Ranocchia was signed from Genoa for €12.5 million on 27 December 2010, after impressing on loan in Bari along with Leonardo Bonucci of Juventus (who were coached by Antonio Conte). Known for signing of foreigners, a delighted Massimo Moratti (then Inter club president) had this to say about Ranocchia "Finally an Italian . We had kept an eye on him from before. It is our project to go ahead with young players." He played 34 games in two seasons for Bari scoring 3 goals. His good performances did not take long for him to be noticed in Inter as he was made captain in the 2014/2015 season after the retirement of Javier Zanetti. With the exit of Ranocchia to Sampdoria on 28 January 2015, we access where did it went wrong for the once touted heir to Marco Materazzi?

To make it easier to understand, Ranocchia has made some mistakes in his game as his inconsistency has a big part to play in his decline but also the inconsistency in the clubs managerial personnel and constant change of coaches hasn't helped his cause either . He has played under six different coaches and all using different systems and strategies without caring much for the defence . Firstly Rafeal Benitez was fired just three days before Ranocchia was signed . Leonardo barely spent five months and was replaced by Gian Piero Gasperini who utilised a 3-4-3 formation with little protection for the defence . Claudio Ranieri and Andrea Stamaccioni utilised a four man defence yet it was with the wrong tactics. It did not take long for Walter Mazzarri to arrive from Napoli with high hopes but his 3-4-1-2 formation was porous to say the least, lacking the perfect players required to work in this system. In came Roberto Mancini mid last season yet the story did not change .

This season , Colombian Jason Murillo and Brazilian Miranda were both signed from Udinese and Atletico Madrid respectively and both have been first choice , with Juan Jesus and Gary Medel deputising when needed. This has pushed Ranocchia further down the pecking order. At 6 ft 5 in, which has made him one of the deadliest in set pieces. He is also good in reading the game and can intercept passes. It is surprising to note that he does not show the mental fragilities that has characterised his stay in Inter while playing for the Azzurri under Coach Anthonio Conte. His 2014/2015 stat also show that he successful in 55 tackles out of a possible 120 ( average of 2.2 tackles, 2.1 interceptions and 4.3 clearances per game last season). He suffered 30 fouls while committing 72, he was successful in 21 take on's while he failed in 23. Also he was successful in 76 headed duels while he failed in 113 attempts (67% headed duels success). Ranocchia has been oftetn booed by the fans in Inter and has been given little encouragement . Inter fans and management must accept the reality that Inter Milan is no longer the force it used to hence expectations lowered. The likes of Ranocchia did not that luxury to play in a team with the likes of Esteban Cambiasso and Thiago Motta who are prefect in shielding the back four. While the likes of Murillo and Miranda have performed well, their lack of recovery ability should be noted alongside their age as Miranda is past 30.

Giving the former captain only a paltry 75 minutes all season and giving the armband to Mauro Icardi shouldn't have been the case, as it might have caused conflict of interest. Marco Materrazzi had this advice for him "I had already told Andrea to go elsewhere over the summer, as the fans never really loved him and unfortunately he arrived at Inter during a tricky time. In my view it will be best if he left", he concluded. It seems Ranocchia was listening to that after he sealed a loan move to Sampdoria. At 27 , he still has some years left in him and no coach will be able to get the best out of him like Vicenzo Montella. Whatever happens , Andrea Rannocchia will be known as one that promised so much but fulfilled so little.
Source
http://mailtelegraph..com.ng/2016/01/sampdoria-move-shows-andrea-ranocchia.html?m=1