Four more games to reverse the trend and avoid a sensational shipwreck. The final rush of Bari’s championship starts tomorrow with the very delicate survival challenge against Cosenza. The team coached by William Viali is fresh from the resounding 4-0 success on the Reggiana pitch. To address the various themes of the match and this decisive phase of the championship, we turned to a double ex from Cosenza and Bari, namely Emanuele Brioschi who gave himself an exclusive interview to the microphones of Borderline24.com.
Emanuele Brioschi: Cosenza – Bari, decisive challenge for salvation or not?
“No, because after that there will still be 3 games and anything can still happen. Cosenza will certainly play not to lose because leaving a direct competitor at the same distance in the standings and with one game less would be an excellent thing. While Bari must play with an extra gear and aim for victory.”
Cosenza is fresh from the sensational 4-0 against Reggiana. Bari from the home draw against Pisa. What game are you expecting?
“Surely, a draw would be good for Cosenza and not for Bari. The red and whites are in a difficult situation but, at this point, we need to give our all and bring home as many points as possible”.
There are 4 games left to go: after the away game in Cosenza, Bari will have to face in order: Parma Cittadella and Brescia. Prohibitive calendar?
“In Serie B there are no easy games or ones with a foregone conclusion: with the games open from first to last place, there isn’t a team that isn’t playing for something. Perhaps, only on the last day, there will be little play. The ranking is still too short.”
Would you have expected Bari to be fighting for survival a few months after the final against Cagliari?
“Honestly, no. I would have expected a different championship, with difficulties, but I would never have thought of Bari fighting for salvation at this point of the season.”
Bari will have to face the last decisive matches with only Nasti available, given the physical problems of Puscas and Diaw. A big problem…
“It’s definitely a problem, but it could become an extra incentive for those who play.”
From 0 to 100, how many chances does Bari have of saving themselves?
“It’s difficult to say, but I think saving yourself directly will be very difficult. More likely to do so via a play-off. When it happened to me, I lost 7 kg in 7 days: playing in a play-off is a sporting drama that psychologically breaks you down: iè nu macìd (it’s a ruin ed.)”.
After Mignani, Marino and Iachini, here is Giampaolo. Risky choice?
“To be able to say that, you have to be inside the locker room. I don’t know if Beppe Iachini still had the locker room in his hands or not. I’ll give the example of Mourinho: a very good coach in managing the group but, in his last year in Rome, the team no longer followed him and now they all play like God.”
If Athens cries, Sparta does not laugh. Even in Naples, things are not going well for the De Laurentiis…
“In the summer everyone sanctified the Napoli players. For goodness sake, we talk about good footballers but the real phenomenon was on the bench. I believe that the coach, if good, matters a lot in a team’s results. In Spalletti’s case, at least 50%.”
The Bari fans are clamoring for a disengagement from the De Laurentiis. Do you think they will sell or continue until 2028?
“The question is only one: what about pighj u Baar? (and who takes it from Bari? Ed.). Would anyone be interested? Personally, I would like to see a Bari owner at the helm of the red and white club. It would be a big advantage.”
And we come to his experiences as a footballer in the two teams. Let’s start from Cosenza: 14 appearances in the 2002/03 season…
“Lassàm perd (let’s forget about it, Ed.): 10 days after my arrival they arrested the president, then there was the bankruptcy and I never got another euro. Team and club in disarray: unjustifiable experience.”
He was in Bari from 1993 to 1996 for a total of 16 appearances and a great assist for Igor Protti…
“More than 30 years have passed: I was a kid, I didn’t play much. We were also in great difficulty but we were relegated with honour. There were great players and great men as well as two great coaches like Materazzi and Fascetti. I don’t remember a game we lost at the start: we always played with everyone. Besides Protti, another leader was the late Ingesson. In this Serie A we would have saved ourselves without problems.”
How did you find yourself in Bari? What relationship did he have with the fans?
“I felt comfortable everywhere, but Bari represents something special for me. Even if there were years where the fans criticized me, even rightly so, for me Bari is always Bari. I was born and live in Milan, but the bond with your city is still strong and I have not forgotten your dialect.”
What do you do now? Is he still in the world of football?
“I have a bar in the center of Milan and every day I interact with many Bari fans who live in Milan. I’m outside the world of football, but sometimes I go to watch players on behalf of some club.”
