Moratti gives Ranieri scant backing

Claudio Ranieri remained in his post as Inter Milan coach on Monday but was given scant backing by club president Massimo Moratti. Ranieri's team have won just one of their last 10 league games with a 2-0 defeat at Juventus on Sunday leaving them in eighth in Serie A, 10 points off the Champions League positions. Asked if Ranieri would last until the end of the season, Moratti gave a lukewarm response. "I think so," Moratti said dryly. "Obviously (the Juve defeat) was a bad blow, although it was partly undeserved in the first half. "But you need to score goals and we didn't, so it's normal you lose." Moratti also suggested it was time to do away with the old guard and start putting faith in the youth team. "They are very young players and a coach has a better understanding than I do of the level they are at. But seeing them play improves your morale because a good number of them are good players. "Three or four of them are maybe already ready to play a few minutes (for the first team) but I'm not a coach."