SOCCER. At the Zingonia sports center, the press conference presenting the new Nerazzurri coach.
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In Zingonia it is the day of the press conference presenting Maurizio Sarri, the new Atalanta coach, accompanied by sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli. Giuntoli was the first to speak: “It is necessary to thank the ownership, Antonio Percassi and Stephen Pagliuca, and the management led by Luca Percassi, for their presence.” Then a joke, referring to Sarri: “He is shy, so go easy on him…”, handing the floor to the coach.
Sarri at the press conference
At the start, Sarri wanted to thank “the entire club for being here. I am also here because of the determination with which they sought me and the esteem I have for this family, for this club. The esteem does not come from a short period, but from far back. What has been done has always impressed me a lot, like the atmosphere inside the stadium, the feeling of a club based on work is one of the reasons why I am here very willingly.”
Sarri’s philosophy
Then about his football philosophy, defined as “completely different, we will see what I can keep and what I will be forced to change, because I have to convey a football that I feel inside. The important thing is to see a good Atalanta, with the mental characteristics seen in recent years. A beautiful, determined team that fights in every match. I hope these characteristics will be seen again.”
The market
On the incoming market: “The director knows very well what my way of thinking about football is, I don’t need to name names, he knows what kind of player I like to coach. Atalanta has its own philosophy that I cannot question, the club’s choices in outgoing and incoming players are clear and I am fine with that. To properly evaluate the squad, we are waiting for the return of those who played in the World Cup, but I am happy with those who are already training.”
The environment
The club’s goals and requests: “They asked me to work, I believe it is one of the few things I know how to do well, along with the billion defects I have. I think this will be appreciated.” On the first days of work at Atalanta: “I found a good environment, a top-level sports center, people who work with great availability. It is the moment I immediately chose when they contacted me.”
The individuals
Sarri is working with a squad used to a different style of football: “We are trying Samardzic and Zalewski as central midfielders. Raspadori is a strong player, I have followed him for years, it is a fortune to finally be able to coach him. But we must not forget that we have two valuable strikers like Scamacca and Krstovic, who last year played very little together but scored more than twenty goals between them. At the moment, therefore, we are using Raspadori as a winger, then we will see what the final solution will be.”
The playmaker
The first signing was Gianluca Gaetano, arrived from Cagliari: “An idea of the director (Giuntoli, ed.), I told him that in that role (playmaker, ed.) I have seen him little, but I saw him well. A shared choice, but it does not take away from other players the possibility to play there. And then I hope the season will be long, tiring and full of matches, so there will be a need for more solutions, like a 4-2-3-1 alternative to the 4-3-3.”
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On the Atalanta he inherited: “Last season may have been a bit underwhelming, but it has happened in the past too, I remember an eighth place, but it came from high-level results and immediately after new high-level results arrived. These are seasons to be expected, they happen from time to time.”
The forwards
Then specifically on Scamacca and the front three with De Ketelaere and Raspadori: “I have it in mind, they are three important players. I consider Scamacca a strong striker who very probably in his career has done less than his potential, a feeling I believe is widespread. The big challenge is to bring him to one hundred percent, we are working with a very personalized program to avoid physical problems in this period, which would slow him down. And we hope a lot for his cooperation.”
The defenders
On the back four and the use of Scalvini: “At the moment he is trying as a center-back, both on the right and on the left. I think he can do it.” On the left flank, instead: “Kolasinac will be an important player, like Bernasconi, like Ahanor, we will see if we will specialize him as a center-back or winger. Kolasinac has played in that role in the national team, but also at Arsenal.”
The initial difficulties
Goals and prospects: “At the moment the goal is to build the team, a team that embraces a new way of thinking. There will certainly be difficulties: at Empoli after eight matches I was last, then we went to the playoffs and the following year to Serie A. At Napoli after three matches we had two points, there too the start was tough. I know there will be suffering, hard work, criticism, it will be inevitable. Then we will evaluate the finished product.” On the club: “I hope I don’t run out of their patience (laughs, ed.). The impression is of being a big family, the same impression I had from outside. From inside I have confirmation.”
Ederson’s stay
Ederson’s stay: “These are club decisions. He will be a pillar of this team. My only fear was given by the second thoughts the boy might have, instead the director is confirming to me that he does it very willingly and is asking to return a few days earlier than allowed.”
The youth sector
On the many young players aggregated from the youth sector during the training camp: “We will see numerically how we will be at the end of the market. I have a strong feeling that among 2007, 2008 and 2009 there are four players who will definitely be in Serie A.” On the fans: “I talked about the atmosphere in the stadium, the protagonists are the fans. A support you rarely see, one hundred minutes of uninterrupted continuity. A nice environment.”
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