Ranieri take over reins at Inter Milan

Inter Milan have appointed Claudio Ranieri as their new coach, the Serie A club said on their website, on Thursday.

"Claudio Ranieri is now officially Inter's new coach," read a statement on Inter.it. "The coach has signed a two-year contract with the club up until 30 June 2013."

"Inter are a great team," Ranieri told Italy's state television Rai on Wednesday. "They have had a bad start to the season and I will have to talk to the team to understand why that was.

"I will have to bring enthusiasm and a change of impetus in order to wake up the team. I cannot promise that we will win this or that but I believe this team has a lot to give and we must prove it."

Ranieri, 59, has coached in Spain (Valencia and Atletico Madrid) and in England (Chelsea), as well as working with a host of Italian clubs including Napoli, Fiorentina and most recently Juventus and Roma, where he resigned in February following a poor run of results -- a season after taking the Giallorossi to the brink of the title.

Despite his pedigree, Ranieri has never won a league title, often playing bridesmaid, though he won the Copa Del Rey with Valencia in 1999 and the Coppa Italia with Fiorentina in 1996.

Last season Inter finished second in Serie A after claiming the scudetto for the previous five seasons.

The Italian's first game in charge will be at Bologna on Saturday before Inter face CSKA Moscow in the Champions League in midweek.

The Italian began his managerial career with Campania before guiding Cagliari from the third division into Serie A between 1989 and 1991. His next move was to Napoli where he was unable to bring success.

Ranieri was then appointed Fiorentina manager and led the club into Serie A in 1994, tasting Italian Cup and Super Cup glory in 1996.

Ranieri moved to Spain with Valencia, adding the 1999 Spanish Cup to his honours list. He left to take on the onerous task of managing Atletico Madrid in mid-1999. His tenure at the troubled club was short.

Key facts on Claudio Ranieri as a coach.

CHELSEA:

Ranieri replaced Gianluca Vialli at Chelsea in Sept. 2000. Despite his sometimes comical English, Ranieri guided Chelsea into sixth place in the league in his first season, helping them to qualify for the UEFA Cup.

After new Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich took over in July 2003, Ranieri suffered constant speculation over his future. Despite this, he steered Chelsea to second in the league, their highest position for 49 years, and to the Champions League semi-finals where they were beaten by Monaco. He was, however, sacked in May 2004.

JUVENTUS:

He replaced Didier Deschamps in June 2007 after Juve had returned to Serie A following their demotion for match-fixing.

A third-placed finish in their first season back was widely praised and the second campaign started well with home and away wins over Real Madrid in the Champions League. Performances dropped late in the campaign though and he was replaced by Ciro Ferrara in May with a Champions League place at risk.

AS ROMA:

He took over from Luciano Spalletti early in the 2009/10 season with the club struggling and he led them on a stunning run which culminated with a runners-up spot in Serie A and the Italian Cup. They almost pipped Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan to the scudetto but for one home loss to Sampdoria.

Last season was always going to be tough in comparison, with the indebted club in the process of being sold, and a series of poor results led to his resignation in February.

Ranieri's training sessions are known to be tough, while his style of play demands fitness and a strong work ethic.

His public persona is that of the classic Italian "Mister", the strict tactician who demands total respect, but off duty he is charming and gregarious and he is widely respected within the Italian game.