Ranieri: ‘Roma future belongs to Soule, wonderful to be unbeaten in derby’ | OneFootball

Claudio Ranieri insists ‘the future belongs’ to Matias Soulé at Roma after the 1-1 draw with Lazio and it is ‘wonderful’ to end his coaching career with an unbeaten Derby della Capitale record.

Alessio Romagnoli rose to nod in the Luca Pellegrini free kick, but Soulé equalised with a spectacular left-foot curler from outside the box that bounced in off the underside of the crossbar.

“It could’ve been better, it could’ve been worse,” Ranieri told DAZN.

“We were backing off them in the first half and I didn’t like that, we needed our wingers forward to cause their full-backs problems, but instead we kept inviting Lazio forward. It was a tense derby, as it usually is.

“Lazio did a little more in terms of scoring opportunities, we did less, but I will take the point.”

Soulé had struggled to make his mark in the Roma jersey, but seems to be growing in confidence, especially after Paulo Dybala’s season-ending injury.

“If he starts from wide, he can take the reins of Roma, but we weren’t giving him the right service in the first half,” noted Ranieri.

“We needed him to take men on after a cross-field pass, but we were too slow in finding him and kept giving Lazio the chance to double up the marking. He was far more incisive in the second half. Soulé is a player who has quality, knows where the goal is, and the future is his, because he has everything it takes to flourish.”

Ranieri on Roma leaders and tactical temptation

ROME, ITALY – APRIL 13: Matias Soulè of AS Roma celebrates first goal during the Serie A match between Lazio and Roma at Stadio Olimpico on April 13, 2025 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)

Dybala is out until at least September following surgery, but he insisted on sitting on the Roma bench this evening to be there with his teammates in the Derby della Capitale.

“He was a leader on the pitch, he was a leader in the locker room, now unfortunately he is a non-playing leader, but he remains with the lads at all times.”

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Lazio 1-1 Roma

Considering that Eldor Shomurodov’s introduction also sparked a comeback to equalise against Juventus, is Ranieri thinking about using the Uzbekistan international from the start with Artem Dovbyk too?

“I know that we are more vertical and decisive with two strikers, but if I play them both from the start, I don’t have any other options to take off the bench. That is the only thing holding me back, I have the idea of using them together until Friday, then I get nervous,” confessed Ranieri.

“I realise Dovbyk feels less isolated up there with him, so it is up to me to find the solution.”

ROME, ITALY – APRIL 13: A general view as fans of AS Roma form a TIFO and raise banners prior to the Serie A match between SS Lazio and AS Roma at Stadio Olimpico on April 13, 2025 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Ranieri is adamant he will retire this summer, so he managed to end his career with a remarkable record, never losing a single edition of the Derby della Capitale as coach.

“I was thinking about it before the match and now afterwards, but it’s not something you think about during the game. I am a man of few words, I can say it is wonderful for me as a Romanista to be unbeaten, I would’ve preferred to end with a victory, but you can’t have everything in sport or in life, you have to accept it,” smiled Ranieri.

“What I will miss the most is the Stadio Olimpico when it’s full. All the players who are at Roma will miss it too, it fills you with pathos, sensibility and the desire to keep going beyond your limits. We coaches can only try to make as few mistakes as possible, help our players during their moments of difficulty.”

The point keeps Roma’s unbeaten run going after seven straight Serie A victories, the draw with Juventus and now this result, but it is only a small step in the fight for European places.

It remains incredibly close, as 10 points separate third-placed Atalanta from Milan in ninth.