Ahead of the match against Campobasso, head coach Marco Turati spoke to the press at the customary pre-match press conference: “ It’s been an important week, during which we’ve brought in two new players—Kalaj and Oyono—as we continue our journey of growth both on and off the field. Obviously, we’ve analyzed the Grosseto game, in which we weren’t at our best, but we’ve identified where we need to improve. Then we’ve prepared for the match against Campobasso, a well-equipped team coming off a strong season and built very well—so it will be a good test.
There are many factors at play in a game; one of them is undoubtedly the field conditions, and we knew that going into Grosseto, but then it’s up to us to interpret what’s happening as best as possible; as long as we stuck to our game plan, we also read the ball’s bounce well; when other difficulties arose, those became a factor too, but that shouldn’t be an excuse, because we should have been more fluid and aggressive—something we did in part—and tomorrow we’ll have to do it with even greater conviction.
Campobasso is a strong team coming off an excellent season, led by a young and ambitious manager who has once again built a strong squad this year. Their roster includes players with extensive experience in Serie C, and their forwards, in particular, have scored many goals in this division; but they also have quality players in other positions, and it’s clear they’re backed by a solid and ambitious project. However, we must focus solely on ourselves; we know the path we must take, and we must follow it step by step to keep growing.
Ours is a very young team, with some standout players, but right now we need to build it up, especially at the individual level; we have many Under-age players on the roster who will improve day by day, both in training and, above all, in matches. We know there can be difficult moments during a game—it’s something we need to improve as quickly as possible—but right now what I want to see is a united group, a team that does everything possible to bring our ideas to life on the field and gives it everything they’ve got.
Tomorrow at the Picco will be a wonderful experience, because playing in our stadium, at night, in front of a huge crowd, will make even me want to step onto the field; I hope my players feel all of this in the best possible way and manage to deliver the performance that will give the fans what they deserve.
The substitutes in Grosseto? They came on very well against Torres, but in Tuscany I didn’t see the same spirit, and that’s something I had to point out to the team as their coach. We can afford a few mistakes, but we can’t let up in terms of desire and competitive fire.
Mangia is an experienced coach; it’s only natural that he’s named us among the favorites to put pressure on us, but we know exactly where we’re headed—we’re not thinking about anything else and we want to grow, because we’re a completely new and very young team.
Oyono? He’ll be coming with us; I’ve seen him play well, but we haven’t decided on the starting lineup yet—partly because we have a lot of back-to-back games coming up, and we’ll make the choices we deem best.
Emotionally, Capomaggio and Bastoni are fully committed; physically, they might not be at their peak yet—though I’ve found Galo to be in good shape already, since he completed the entire training camp with Salernitana. Simone was a free agent, so it’s normal that he isn’t at his best yet, but he’s training very well, and I think he’ll reach peak form in a couple of matchdays.
For the first time, we’ll have three center backs at 100 percent; perhaps only Kalaj needs to get back into shape a bit, but he’s a top-tier player and will be a huge help to us, so I’d like to give him some playing time in the upcoming matches. As for the other three, whoever proves themselves the most will play, but I’m convinced that all of them will have opportunities throughout the season to prove their worth and give me a tough choice.”
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