D’Angelo: “Approaching the final stretch with awareness”

This morning, in the press room of the Ferdeghini Sports Center, coach Luca D’Angelo spoke to the media ahead of the upcoming home match against Sampdoria. Here are his statements: “Pisa is having an outstanding season. We had closed the gap on them significantly, but they responded well and deserve credit for that. Our focus is on playing our game, just as we have always done, while remembering that this is one of Spezia’s most remarkable Serie B campaigns, not just in terms of results, but also for the emotions it has brought, which will stay with our fans forever. Now we’re in the mix, with a great opportunity ahead of us until the final matchday. Then we’ll see where we stand.

Chichizola? He’s fully aware of the goal we conceded, but he shouldn’t be blamed for it. We conceded just three minutes into the match, with plenty of time left to recover. He’s an experienced player, he keeps a level head, and he knows that criticism is part of the game when mistakes happen. But I’ll say it again, Spezia didn’t lose to Brescia because of Chichizola.

Di Serio? He’s a strong player. He stepped up against Brescia, played a great match, and could be in the lineup either from the start or as a substitute. Reca? He’ll be out for at least a month, while Salvatore Esposito will rejoin the squad in training today.

There have been matches where we didn’t get the results we deserved against Brescia, in Modena, in Cesena. Meanwhile, the match against Pisa was probably one that should have ended in a draw, yet we won. That just goes to show how unpredictable this game is.

We might be a bit short on numbers right now, but we’ll have sixteen quality players ready to take the field. That gives us confidence to approach this match with our usual mindset.

How do we regain the freedom we had in the first half of the season? We need to remember that we’re playing for something huge and exciting. So it’s not about playing with a carefree attitude, it’s about having the awareness that we can achieve something important and believing in it until the very end.

I think people often tend to remember the bad moments more than the good ones, and I’m no different. Happiness is something that’s hard to fully grasp. I often think about the great moments we’ve had, but I struggle to relive them with the same intensity. Meanwhile, when it comes to disappointments, I can recall those emotions vividly. I don’t know how to change that, but that’s just how it is.

The red card? I’m very disappointed in myself because a coach should never get sent off, especially not after the match is over. To make matters worse, I was protesting my own previous booking rather than the general officiating.

Every game is there to be played, and every team faces its own challenges, regardless of the standings, especially at this stage of the season.

What approach should Spezia take in this final stretch? Italiano once told his players to take the field with a helmet on, and I completely understand what he meant. I’d say we need both the work suit because you need it to slide, run, and fight and the tie, because we’re competing for something truly significant. On that note, I want to say that Italiano is one of the best coaches in Italy and also one of the most underrated.

Kouda? He’s a quality player. Even against Brescia, he had three big chances. I know what he can bring to the team, so we’ll decide whether to start him or bring him on during the match.

Competitiveness is essential in sports, and our team embodies that spirit, something our fans recognize and appreciate every day. Against Brescia, let’s not forget that we played with a man down in the final stretch, yet we still controlled the game and created plenty of chances".