Greece have confirmed the appointment of Claudio Ranieri as their new national team coach. The 62-year-old Italian replaces Portuguese tactician Fernando Santos, who left his post after guiding Greece to a knockout stage exit at the World Cup in Brazil.
Ranieri, who has signed a two-year deal through to the 2016 European Championships in France, was greeted on the Greek FA's Twitter account:
Benvenuto allenatore! #EURO2016 #WorldCup2014 #GoGreece pic.twitter.com/MQxYYeQJMQ
— Ethniki Omada (@EthnikiOmada) July 25, 2014
The Italian led Monaco to second place in Ligue 1 last season, having previously guided them to the Ligue 2 title for the first time in their history. Though he's never won a major domestic league, the Rome native has experience at numerous major clubs, including Inter Milan, AS Roma, Chelsea and Valencia, at whom he enjoyed some European success.
He's notorious for making constant tactical tweaks -- a trait that earned him the nickname "the Tinkerman" in the British media. At international level, where the margins are so fine and flexibility is the key, he could well prove to be a great appointment.