Ahead of the match against Sambenedettese, here’s what Coach Marco Turati had to say: “The Cup victory left us feeling good, because the team executed our game plan and we scored three goals against a team that was still undefeated and hadn’t conceded any goals. As for the new players, they’re in good shape. Obviously, they lack chemistry with the group—something we’ll have to build gradually—but they’re excellent players and will be a huge help to us.
Picking up on the director’s comments, I think that, as he said, a couple of attacking wingers might have been useful, but we’ve brought in strong players, and it’ll be up to me to find the right solutions to ensure the available roster performs to its full potential. We’re a team that needs to focus on the present and our path of growth; then we’ll look at the results, but first and foremost we must work to improve and perhaps even try something different—even if it might cause a slight slowdown.
I’d like to thank the Director for his kind words about me at the press conference. Today, I’m totally focused on the daily work we need to do on the field. I have a lot of young players at my disposal, and it’s up to me to put them in a position where they can give their all.
Florenzi? He did very well as an attacking winger, even though it’s not a role he particularly loves; if we bring in a winger with those characteristics, the others have to adapt to his strengths, cover certain spaces, and move in a way that might be different from a pure winger, but I’ll say it again—he really had an excellent game.
Sambenedettese will certainly be a tough opponent. They’re coming off an undeserved loss in the Coppa Italia, which came down to a penalty shootout, while against Torres they were very much in the game and the red card affected them, but they have a large fan base and a team that knows this league well, so to achieve what we want, we’ll have to play very well.
Kalaj? He doesn’t have any specific injuries, but he’s coming off a period of inactivity, so some discomfort is normal; we need to get him back in shape, help him out, and I believe that once he’s fully fit, he’ll be an asset for us because he’s a player from a higher level.
Oyono? Yes, he’s shown up in excellent shape, and that really speaks to his character. We need to integrate him more and more effectively into our system, but that goes for pretty much everyone who joined us mid-season.
In general, I believe our team’s primary goal should be to always push hard, because we still have a lot to learn, and right now there are some powerhouses ahead of us who have the advantage, but we need to stay calm and work on improving.
Which area of the team needs the most improvement? We’re perhaps a bit behind schedule because, with such a busy transfer window, we chose to focus more on physical conditioning than on team dynamics, in order to bring everyone up to the same level of fitness; I like that everyone is involved in both ball possession and ball recovery. We may still need to improve in certain areas and in terms of positioning, but if we’re a bit behind in this regard, it’s by my own choice.
Jimenez? He’s a versatile player, capable of operating in the central area of the field and, given his characteristics, very comfortable in the final third; he’s a player who knows when to slow down, when to accelerate, and when to force a play or not—and for a team like ours, having a player like that is certainly a key factor.
The look of our team, when it comes to the midfield, can change depending on the players we field. Capomaggio is a more defensive and physical player than Joselito, who perhaps has a bit more tactical awareness: it will be up to us to choose the right player each time. As for the rest, we have many different qualities in midfield; perhaps Bright stands out more than others, and I think he can be dangerous in the box as well.
Mazzocchi? So far, he’s always had the right mindset. Arriving at the field and seeing a player of his experience display that visible hunger makes me feel good, and that should be everyone’s mindset—including those involved with Spezia Calcio.
Di Serio? He’s back training with us; now we need to get him back in shape. He certainly has important qualities, and if he, too, has the right mindset, he’ll definitely be a huge help to us.”
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