After the 2-0 defeat at Cesena, this is how Perugia coach Vittorio Alessandro Formisano spoke to UmbriaTV:
“There is certainly never serenity after defeat. I’m happy with how the boys approached the race and I’m proud of the debut of some of the boys who ran the course with me. Bartolomei’s diagonal came out very little. Two dead ball situations, including a very dubious penalty, steered the match towards Cesena. It has confirmed itself as an exceptional team, built to win, with many young people who have grown up in the youth sector. I’m a model. Victory more than deserved, I congratulated their coach”
“We will give our best in the play-offs in the knowledge that in the last few games we have done something different by rotating many players. Now the moment of rotations is over. Tonight we left over 10 players at home. The goal is to have them ready for when the game is played, waiting to hear about this possible postponement. You work with your head to be serious”
“Renewal? The comparison could have been made even earlier but perhaps it arrived at the right time.”
“In my very small career in the youth sector I made a few years of playoffs. They are very difficult, they are a lottery. I would also add the mental aspect linked to double results. I believe that the arduous and difficult obstacle is the first round. Then we still have to go and win with strength because we are a team that cannot speculate.”
“It made me angry to have given away the three restarts from which the corner of the goal and the penalty were born. In some moments the ball needs to be managed better. This made me nervous. The boys knew how good Cesena was and how lethal he was on those occasions. When you want to try to dribble against such an aggressive and strong team you can do something wrong.”
“When I was called to take over, I already knew the objective and the path we had to take. Those who grew up with Perugia have been thrown into the fray and can now represent it at their best. I am a coach who can have an impact in the long run and not in the short term like Toscano and great coaches.”
“I wouldn’t make an overall discussion on the last few games. Pesaro’s performance was not brilliant. Against Arezzo we did what we had prepared. Today we prepared her to win but it wasn’t enough in the face of a truly great opponent. I would look forward to the next races with optimism.”
“This period that I have experienced is certainly not easy but it is incredibly educational. I think my 5 months are worth a few years. I live the context and have a great sense of belonging to the important things we did in the Spring. I don’t feel a burden but a responsibility, today it is to bring a climate like the fantastic one we saw this evening. People give you something extra, football belongs to the people. It’s much simpler than some people make out. Football is emotion and we absolutely have to conquer this piece.”
“We have a lot of kids who are in their early twenties and have played a lot of games. They have always given me a great desire to play the games that count. We have had many absences but I don’t want alibis. I trust the guys who showed me their desire”
