Claudio Ranieri was the Tinkerman. He's the Derbyman now after his Roma team beats Lazio again

ROME (AP) — Forget about the Tinkerman. Claudio Ranieri is the Derbyman now.

Ranieri extended his perfect record in the capital derby as Roma beat Lazio 2-0 in Serie A on Sunday to give the Giallorossi a much-needed boost in what has been a difficult season.

Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini scored the opener with a curling shot from the edge of the area and Alexis Saelemaekers finished off a counterattack to give Roma a two-goal advantage after 18 minutes.

Ranieri improved his record to five wins in five derbies as Roma’s coach. He’s the team’s third manager this season after Daniele De Rossi and Ivan Juric were both fired. His other derby wins came during his first stint as Roma’s coach from 2009-11. He also coached his hometown club briefly in 2019.

“The coach is a legend of Rome. We all know it and we’re all happy for him,” Saelemaekers said. “He took over the team in a tough moment, reset the entire group and improved the mentality.”

Claudio Ranieri was the Tinkerman. He's the Derbyman now after his Roma team beats Lazio again | iNFOnews.ca — Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini, center, celebrates with fans at the end of a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Ranieri has also won the three other big derbies in Italy in Milan, Turin and Genoa as coach of Inter Milan, Juventus and Sampdoria, respectively.

“The coach acts as a counterpoint for the derby,” Ranieri said. “If the squad is lacking energy, you need to provide energy. But usually the team has enough energy for the derby and the coach doesn’t need to add anything. I just try to keep the players serene and calm so they can give everything they can on the pitch.”

Ranieri is best known for shocking the soccer world by leading Leicester to a Premier League title in 2016 but he was also ridiculed at times in England for his tendency to rotate his players regularly, hence the Tinkerman moniker.

Ranieri helped Cagliari avoid relegation last season and had said that would be his final club job but he couldn’t turn down Roma when he was called in to restore order in November. Ranieri’s contract calls for him to step up into an executive role after this season, from which he’ll have a say who will be the teams’ next coach.

Roma, which has won three of its last five in Serie A, moved up to 10th place. Lazio remained fourth.

Pellegrini has been subjected to severe criticism by Roma’s fans this season, and his goal lifted the pressure off of Roma.

A car went up in flames outside the Stadio Olimpico about an hour before kickoff after being struck by fireworks as rival fans attempted to approach each other.

Also Sunday, Cagliari came back from a goal down to win 2-1 at last-place Monza with scores from Nadir Zortea and Roberto Piccoli.

Torino-Parma and Lecce-Genoa each finished 0-0.