by Simone Cioni
Arriving in the repair market to bring the characteristics that were missing to the Italian offensive department, Alberto Cerri has so far played 10 games, 8 of which as a starter for 502 minutes in total, in which he was appreciated above all for his excellent team work, while it is still missing in the construction phase. A goal that actually arrived last Saturday in Lecce (dedicated among other things to the imminent arrival of his son) and, without the VAR review, would have allowed Empoli to find themselves ahead after a handful of minutes. Let’s start from the last match in Salento to analyze Empoli’s moment together with the former Como striker.
Another bitter knockout in Lecce, how much did the episodes at the beginning and end of the race have an impact?
“A defeat that hasn’t really gone down well for us yet, but we have to think about the next match because we have six finals ahead of us and we have to concentrate on the matches to come. Regarding the episodes, in football sometimes you have better luck and they go well for you and other times we don’t. We know, it’s our job, we have to try to make as few mistakes as possible.”
Your first goal in blue, complete with a special dedication, in a direct clash would have been the perfect afternoon…
“Yes, unfortunately it would have been the perfect afternoon but I’m happy to have contributed to an important action that could have made the match go a certain way. They disallowed my goal, I’ll try to score another one as soon as possible.”
Perhaps something more could have been dared in the second half?
“It was a complicated and difficult match, with even the wind being a nuisance at a certain point. Qualitatively it wasn’t a great match for both teams.”
Now on the horizon there are Naples and Atalanta, two decidedly complicated commitments…
“They are two battleships but nothing is impossible and football is not an exact science, so we can and must try to score points even against these great teams.”
Also because Nicola has already said it: “We have to take back the point left in Lecce”…
“Of course, the point we lost in Lecce and which seemed to have been made, we have to make up for it somewhere else.”
Napoli arrives on Saturday, a high-level team but which has shown that it is attackable…
“This year compared to last year they are in more difficulty, as we also saw with Frosinone, but despite this we will have to show great humility and a spirit of sacrifice because we know that in any case it is a team that does not forgive. We will give our best.”
How are you and Niang experiencing this alternation of employment?
“In a very serene way. Like the other teammates in the department, we think about the good of the team and about achieving results. It’s obvious that everyone would like to play, as it should be, but the important thing is to bring the team to the best results. It’s what we are all doing with great determination.”
Is seeing you even together too much for the balance of the team?
“I don’t know (laughs), this is a question that should be asked to the coach. I think that all Empoli’s attackers can play together. As I said before, this is the coach’s decision based on the reading of the match. choices, we are available.”
