Pavoletti to “Il Cagliari in Diretta”
The rossoblù captain Leonardo Pavoletti was a guest on the radio show “Il Cagliari in Diretta” on Radiolina, where he shared his thoughts on this start of the season and on his long experience with Cagliari and in the world of football. With his usual passion, the striker spoke about the positive moment of the team and his personal journey, on and off the pitch.
A NEW START
“We are training with a smile, after years where there was no shortage of critical issues, in the midst of so many beautiful moments. Personally I feel good, there is a desire to do well and work, with so many new concepts and renewed stimuli. For a year and a half we have been on the right path, and finally we can see the serenity. It is wonderful to go to the same place every day for eight years now and feel that the environment is healthy and stimulating. This makes everything easier, even doing our job. The goal in the Italian Cup? I know it was awarded to Piccoli, it is right because it was an involuntary deflection, it will mean that goal number 50 against Cagliari will come at another time, hopefully soon. That’s fine – he explains with his usual serenity – Roberto is young and has superior qualities to the Pavoletti of a few years ago. He is a boy who needs to be guided and pampered, but he has exceptional characteristics. We must help him express his full potential because it is high, he must learn to manage himself in the moments of the match, but he has so many physical, mental, technical qualities”.
NEW CAGLIARI
“We lost some guys who took other paths, I had a special bond with many of them and not seeing them on July 8th disoriented me. But football is this, we are renewing ourselves, with mister Nicola there is a new air but in the continuity with mister Ranieri, we follow him and we are happy”.
ORIGINS
“I can give an example and I think of Sergio Floccari when I played at Sassuolo. He was among the most experienced and, despite playing little, he gave me precious advice by always training to the max. He was a strong striker, but he played with great champions. Even if it seems he did less than many others in his career, he was a real reference for me”.
HIGH LEVEL SERIE A
“Serie A remains an excellent championship. Even if we lose many phenomena, our teams have shown their value in Europe, like Atalanta, Roma and Fiorentina last season, or Inter in the Champions League final two years ago. It is true that elsewhere there is more money or less pressure, but our football deserves respect because it is a first-rate school for everyone”.
FIDUCIA TO COMO
“Como has an important ownership and has made good purchases, but they still have to adapt to the mentality of Serie A, it’s normal. We look at ourselves, we will play at home, and even if they come from a defeat with the desire to get back on their feet, we are confident. This is what the coach asks of us, and when you work well during the week, it is very likely that you will get the results on the day of the official match. I am happy to challenge them straight away, we are on equal terms despite their impressive transfer campaign. We have a year more experience than them, we are training well, we are happy to always go to the maximum and work well as the coach asks of us. Then afterwards you reap the benefits. With Pepe Reina, Como’s goalkeeper, we played together at Napoli, one of the best people I have ever played with. An exceptional person, I invited him to the wedding and he came even though we only played together for six months. With Goldaniga we have created a relationship here, he never seems to have a problem, he makes you experience things well, we have had arguments but then it quickly passed, they are those beautiful relationships and long, personally I lose my temper every now and then but that’s how I am, and I’m the first to admit it. It’s always strange to have friends against me like when I play against Perin, in a low exit I put my big foot on him (within limits) and he knows that it’s part of the game”.
RANIERI AND NICOLA, TWO LEADER
“Ranieri explained the game in detail and you knew what would happen, Nicola works on us, takes care of the details, motivates us, makes us believe we are the strongest team on the pitch. Both have their own style, but what matters is that they manage to get into the players’ heads with their methodologies and charisma. And when they do that, success is guaranteed. As a footballer it is important to get to know yourself as your career goes by, in training you find situations that you can experience in the game and exploit to your advantage. I wasn’t used to coming on as a substitute, now I know that my 10′-15′ are my game and I have to exploit it, be important for the team, giving what the coach wants so we can all rejoice together. Nicola tells us that we can make mistakes, because that way we can understand and do the right thing, it is important to be aware of ourselves, we want to bring a new philosophy to the pitch and we are working towards this. The coach knows how to get into the players’ heads, I always think that if you love the coach you reach the objective, and Nicola is already in many boys, he knows how to do the right thing. joke and knows how to scold you in the right way. He has his own line, coherent and clear, and if we are all in tune I am convinced that things will go in the right way for Cagliari”.
