Nicolas Viola on Tuttosport

“Our strength is the field factor, we give our best in front of our fans: but this should not be an alibi because we have to score points away from home too and, fortunately, we have been succeeding lately. The others are pushing and we have to accelerate again: we have a lot of respect for Juve and, with humility, given that we face an extraordinary team, on Friday evening at the Unipol Domus we will have to play with courage to try and win”: red-blue fantasist Nicolas Viola gave an exclusive long interview to the newspaper Tuttosport, on newsstands today. Below is an extract of his words:

ALL ON THE BALL
“In football you live by labels, but I rather believe that you have to get on the pitch to do well and every minute is crucial. I train to be a starter, there’s no doubt about that, and I respect the choices. Then, with the rule of the five changes, there are no longer starters and reserves, but twenty-five players who all have to be on the pitch. The coach always tells us to look at everything from a positive perspective, never lowering our heads and putting into practice the things we know how to do. That’s the spirit with which we must also face Juve”.

THE COACH’S SKILL
“Today a coach must also be a bit of a psychologist to manage 25-26 different players. This team has always shown that it is there, even scoring many points after the 90th minute, thus demonstrating important values. But we lacked something in terms of conviction. The turning point came after the game against Lazio: the coach was very good at making us face up to our responsibilities.

MENTAL STRENGTH AND BALANCE
“The psyche in sport is fundamental. The path to growth starts inside us, not outside: if you focus on external factors you remain conditioned by the random event, luck, bad luck, the referee. The right way is instead to focus on what you can do. It is a process that requires effort because there are also injustices. I for one realise that the really strong ones manage to have balance even when dealing with certain things that require patience, calm and equilibrium. I think, for example, that Sinner is one of those: I have a lot of respect for him, he’s a disciplined guy who studies a lot”.

ALWAYS IMPROVING
“My future? I feel like a player who has not yet fulfilled his full potential. Until I get this result, I will continue to be on the pitch. I have no regrets in my career, all the mistakes I have made have been propellers to make me what I am at the moment. Among the joys I hold on to last year’s promotion and also last night’s performance against Inter. Salvation? It would be another event to remember, for those who come from Serie B it is never easy to be confirmed: succeeding would be very positive for the future of this Club”.