Turati: “We want to build on and nurture the enthusiasm that fills this city”

Ahead of the Trenitalia Regional Coppa Italia Serie C match against Torres, head coach Marco Turati spoke to the press: “We’re coming off a good week, during which we pushed hard and continued to get minutes under our belts without any setbacks; we’re ready to take on this Cup challenge, even though we’re a bit short-handed in certain positions and have some players who haven’t yet logged a lot of playing time.

We’re going through a transition phase because we have a lot of young players on the roster, but not all of them are available—partly due to transfer market issues—while others, like Simone Bastoni, aren’t in good enough shape to start or have had minor physical issues during preseason. So against Torres, we’ll need to manage a squad that may not be very deep but is certainly determined and eager to perform well.

Injury report? In addition to Cannavò, Bright had some issues after the first phase of training camp and is still sidelined today, while Cardinali returned to the group a few days ago, and I must say I found him full of energy, even if he can’t play a full 90 minutes.

I want to thank players like Djankpata and Cazzadori, who have adapted to roles they aren’t naturally suited for but have filled with great dedication, sacrifice, and determination; up front, we’ve regained Cardinali, who can be a key asset, as can Durmush, but we know we’ll still need to add something—not so much in terms of playing style, but in terms of numbers.

Director Angelozzi and his entire staff are doing a wonderful job of identifying players who can fit into our style of play, so now we all need to adapt, grit our teeth, and be ready—knowing that between now and the end of the season, we’ll add that extra element that can help us take another leap forward in quality.

We want to ride the wave of the fans’ enthusiasm, because even though it’s true that we’re a very young team, I always tell my players that we need to harness and nurture it; this is a passionate fan base—you can feel the excitement for the team in the city streets—and we all want to channel that enthusiasm into making that extra play that could be the deciding factor.

We know that on Sunday we’ll face a strong team for this division, one that includes players we know well here—like Mastinu—who are at a higher level; two years ago, Torres was fighting for promotion to Serie B, and they’ve shown excellent form both in terms of play and aggressiveness, so we know it will be a difficult match, and we’ll have to make the most of both our home-field advantage and our own qualities.

For any team, the start of the season is a phase of building, and this is especially true for us since we’ve brought in so many new players; we have to work every day to instill tactics and build chemistry, trying to improve step by step to become a strong team and a strong group. But talking about favorites or not at this point, I don’t think it’s fair—in fact, it’s a pipe dream. We have to focus on working hard, building something day by day, growing, and improving.

I don’t look at age—whoever deserves to play gets to play; age doesn’t matter to me. Of course, we also want to bring in some players who can provide leadership in the locker room.

From an emotional standpoint, I’m rediscovering that passionate atmosphere that had captivated me even before I came here as an assistant coach, and I really connect with this kind of environment; it motivates me and drives me to give even more.

The goalies? Maybe Micai is starting out ahead right now, but we also have a very capable backup, and we’re very happy to have filled those two spots.

Throughout the training camp, everyone has made significant progress; I’ve seen young players who believe in the project, and that’s essential for all of us.

Mazzocchi is a really strong forward for this division, and since he already has certain skills under his belt, he’s adapted very quickly. Joselito? He’s a guy who trains with truly infectious enthusiasm and drive, and as long as we have these guys and this spirit, I’ll always remain very confident.”