“Meet&Greet”, Luca Mazzitelli’s words

Luca Mazzitelli, the man who scored the winning goal against Juventus last Saturday at the Unipol Domus, was the guest of honor at the “Meet & Greet” with fans, held this evening at the Doppio Malto venue in Cagliari. Autographs and smiles were exchanged, and the Rossoblu midfielder spoke to the media on the sidelines of the event. These are his statements:

A GREAT JOY
“The match against Juventus? I had a great evening, for me and for the team. It should give us a huge boost for the upcoming matches. Personally, I was really happy with the goal, the atmosphere I experienced with my teammates, the fans, and the team that works at the club. The goal? It was set up; we all have a series of movements and positions to occupy in or around the penalty area: Gaetano’s ball landed there and it worked well. It was a wonderful experience in terms of prestige and the importance of the points. My dedication? It goes above all to my mother; she was at the stadium on Saturday.”

THE MATCH IN FLORENCE
We’re doing well, but Fiorentina are also in good form; their current position in the table doesn’t reflect their true strengths. Right now, however, we’re facing a direct competitor. We’ll need to bring enthusiasm but also a desire to do better, perhaps to be more proactive in our playmaking, something we weren’t able to do well against Juventus. It will be a tough match, but we’ll play our cards right. Against the big teams, we’ve conceded few goals and played a certain way; in head-to-head matches, we’ve conceded more. We talked again today and said that focus and dedication are the most important thing, regardless of tactics or chemistry. Everything starts with attitude, with spirit: we can’t make mistakes.

WORK CULTURE
“I’m happy. I didn’t play much at first, but now I’m finding more playing time. In any case, I never thought about the future, the transfer market, or leaving here in January. My mind was only focused on work: I’ve been rewarded; my duty was to be ready when called upon. I always try to be ready, at any moment. It’s nice to have the respect of my teammates and the coach. We all have a clear goal and what we need to do to achieve it.”

IN MEMORY OF THE LEGEND
“I know that today is a special day for Cagliari, for all of Sardinia: it’s been two years without Gigi Riva, but our thoughts always go to him as an example, an idol, a legend. We always have Nicola, his son, close to us, as a Club Ambassador who always supports us and comes to training. Our closeness today, even more so, is to him and his family.”

THE RACE TO SAVE THE LEAGUE
“It’s a tough championship; no one gives up or they’re done for. We’ve seen everyone fight against the odds, and we can’t give up for a second. I don’t know what the average survival rate is; we shouldn’t make calculations now, perhaps looking at previous seasons. We’ll see later what points we need to earn to stay up.”

RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COACH
“I’m getting to know the coach better and better. He’s making his debut but already has a lot of experience. He works hard, he’s demanding, and he studies hard to improve overall. He’s slowly integrated into the group with his ideas. The more time passes, the more we understand the mechanisms and understand what he wants from us. We need to continue like this.”

RED AND BLUE PASSION
“I feel great in Cagliari, as almost everyone who has come to play here over the years says. Life is good, there’s serenity, you can work without excessive pressure, supported by the passion of the people: the conditions are ideal, and I make myself available to this truly wonderful environment.”

NOT JUST FOOTBALL
“A degree? It’s not easy to balance studies with high-level football. Luiss helped me a lot with their program dedicated to athletes, and I was able to continue my studies even though I didn’t have a lot of time. It’s a great satisfaction, a nice way to sometimes take a break from the routine of training and matches, and even from the pressure you often have to deal with. It’s a great satisfaction for me, but honestly, not as satisfying as scoring a goal, or a goal against Juventus…”