SALA STAMPA | Nicola before Lecce-Cagliari
Press conference at the CRAI Sport Center for Davide Nicola, before the departure for Lecce. The red and blue coach met the media, taking stock of the team and its surroundings.
THE OPPONENT
‘It is a team that has shown for years that it has clear ideas, this year it has added some new players thanks to the good work of director Corvino. It will be our first away match of the season and we are very curious to see how the team responds in front of a different crowd. They play with a four-man defence, I obviously don’t know the condition of their new signings: they have a very solid defence, it’s a team that is able to play vertically, with outfielders who have various characteristics in terms of unpredictability and leg. It’s a team that is proving its game identity, as we are proving ours.
PLAYERS
“Zortea is back after almost a month, he has to regain his pace and confidence, but he trained all week with us and that’s positive. Piccoli? I’m happy but he knows he can and must do much more: he must remain calm and relaxed, with the enthusiasm he brought. I think the forwards we have available are demonstrating what we expect, I can cite the example of Pavoletti who I doubt has ever done such preparation. When he is completely loose, he, like Lapadula, you will see him on the pitch in a different way. Mina and the defenders? We have a very interesting group of defenders, when they are all in optimal conditions I think there will be complementarity and unique characteristics. We have centimetres, aggression and the ability to play in different ways: I am very happy in Mina’s case, he played 66 minutes and was almost sorry to leave, but we know him and we know that he must be managed in a particular way. The challenge from the point of view of athletic and tactical preparation in his case is clear: he must trust us, to avoid injuries. He had a minute or two based on his current condition, later we will add minutes. The same goes for Palomino. Penalty takers? We have three, but they will be chosen from match to match, Mina is certainly one of these. I complimented my players on how they trained, despite the market. Lapadula is training very well, it is clear that the initial choices are made by the coach, then the pitch will determine the choices. Makoumbou did the entire retreat perfectly: I see in him the possibility of being used in various roles. He is a player who knows how to handle the ball, but every now and then he exceeds the number of touches. He will have his chances like everyone will, I am interested in the pitch. He has returned from the discomfort he had last week, he is ready to come with us in the right frame of mind.”
CONTINUITY
“It’s not a question of physical condition, because we are trained to play even 100 minutes. We were not able to maintain the right distances and timing of the pressure: the decline is in reading and in the times to respect. Now it is difficult to be perfect, Como had four very dangerous situations, of which we partly conceded and not born from game situations created by them and two on dead-ball situations where we could have done better. In Lecce we will have to have the same attitude as always, proactive and aware, but clearly the opponent changes and we will have to be good at interpreting what the Salento team will put in front of us. We are fine, let’s think about Mina and Palomino who are growing from a physical point of view. Viola is absorbing the workload well, but obviously they cannot have the condition of those who have always trained”.
FREE KICK
“They are always dangerous situations in the offensive and defensive zone, depending on the moment. It is a question of orientation and knowing how to guard the area of competence, respecting the principles of marking. Where the opponent is not able to create an advantageous situation, we must be able to limit its characteristics”.
BYE PEREIRO
“I was clear with him from the beginning. He is a very talented player, but together with the club we made other decisions, focusing on different elements. No negative judgments, therefore, but only choices dictated by the strategy on building the team”.
