D'Angelo: "I saw once again a great desire to win: we deserved the three points"

At the end of the home match against Juve Stabia, Spezia coach Luca D'Angelo spoke to the press: "In the first half, we played very well. My regret is that we only had a one-goal lead at halftime because we had numerous chances to score, but we weren’t able to convert them. We came back onto the field, and from their first chance, we conceded a goal in an action where an error was definitely made. However, it should be noted that it was their only shot on target.  

We deserved more, but I was really pleased with the team, especially in the first half. In the second half, after missing the penalty, we suffered mentally. We were a bit too disorganized when we needed to be calmer, but that’s part of the game. We need to keep our heads up; we have a good position in the standings, and we shouldn’t make the mistake of focusing too much on the teams behind or ahead of us.  

The only player who is not responsible for the goal conceded is Chichizola. Even if he had made a mistake, I would have been convinced by the decision, as it was a tactical choice based on the type of match we were facing today. Gori had been doing well, but today I needed a goalkeeper like Chichizola, who is ready to come out strongly and quickly. I repeat, he had no responsibility on the goal, and he did exactly what he needed to do, coming out in the situations he was called upon.  

There was a bit of tension between the two benches during the match, but these are things that happen on the field. From this point of view, I feel I’ve improved a lot because I can keep my calm and stay focused on the game.  

We must always have the desire to win, and that’s something we never lack. Even after conceding the goal, we pushed hard to get back in front, but the missed penalty affected us a bit, and we didn’t have the same sharpness at the end of the match. Now, however, we must focus on Sunday’s game, which is very important for our journey.  

We tend to play more on the right, given that we have many right-footed midfielders. Reca had been doing very well up until a month ago, but he suffered an injury and has not yet reached his peak in terms of sharpness. He’s still a strong player who can give us a lot in the second half of the season.  

Juve Stabia is a very good team, well-organized, well-coached, and they had a good game even in the first leg, where we managed to break the deadlock early. Today, however, we couldn’t capitalize on the many chances we had, but we were facing a strong and well-equipped team that rightfully occupies a playoff spot.  

Some have pointed out to me that my teams tend to experience a drop in performance from January onwards, but the numbers actually show the opposite. At Caserta, as well as in Pisa and Spezia last season, we achieved many positive results without slowing down. Perhaps in my last year at Pisa, our points-per-game average dropped, but I will make sure my players continue to push hard until the end of the season.  

It’s worth mentioning that, as in previous games, the fans applauded the team because I believe they are satisfied with the players’ attitude. We faced a team in the playoff zone, and in the two encounters, we played very well. I don’t think anyone in this league has managed to challenge them as much as we did. Spezia always tries to win until the end, and that’s what we showed today. There are still many games ahead, and we must keep working hard. Despite only earning two points from the last three matches, the players’ attitude has been consistently positive.  

I’m sorry that our fans won’t be able to follow us in the next away match. I don’t think this is fair, and I don’t understand where the problem lies in allowing fans to support their team in such an important and emotional match. I repeat what I’ve said before – there should be more trust in people. I think restricting the individual and collective freedom of people is not a very democratic choice".