«We have done a great thing, achieving this salvation – underlines an exhausted but satisfied man Alessandro Nesta in the press conference after the victory against Modena in the derby – After Cosenza we were dead, but the group recovered great and today they did something special. Winning in Palermo and then the derby with Modena is a beautiful thing. Not everyone can do something like this».
Whose credit is it?
«The credit goes to the players: they are the ones who win the matches. It’s true that both we, the staff and the club, were good at staying calm and clear-headed, trying not to burden the team with responsibility and continuing to believe in it, but the main credit goes to my boys: they are at the center of everything” .
What did Alessandro Nesta give to Reggiana?
«Humanly I think I’m a good person, then on a technical level one can be better or poorer. Whether you win or lose, the important thing is that you behaved well.”
Coming to the match, the choice of Pajac in his first appearance as a starter of the season was surprising…
«At the back we were counted as Szyminski was a bit stuck with his back and Romagna was out due to injury. Marko (Pajac, ed.) did well as did Libutti on the other side. I am very happy with their performance. For me we lightened our legs by playing after a difficult start due to the efforts in Palermo. After the goal we played on the counter and we could have scored the second too.”
Reggiana’s championship was comparable to a roller coaster…
«It’s been a tough year and I’ve never had a season like this either as a player or as a coach. The work was right and I wasn’t influenced by the rumors around me and I think this was fundamental.”
Will you now think about next year, having reached the automatic renewal of the contract?
«No, I still have to think about this season. Then we’ll see about the future. We have to go to Genoa and there is the derby with Parma to play. There are two races left and we will face them a little more carefree.”
Forbidden to settle?
«I’m not talking about playoffs because now it brings bad luck. Let’s think about having fun and we’ll see where we get…”.
Can it become a great season?
«For me it’s already a great season because I know I have strong players. I can mention young people like Pieragnolo, Bianco and Marcandalli as well as others such as Fiamozzi and Sampirisi. Then the expert ones like Cigarini were important because they understood certain moments of the season. I also want to mention Rozzio who amazed me too and did things never seen before, taking on great responsibilities. They were all important players.”
What was the hardest and most exciting moment of the season?
«The worst was when everyone started getting hurt. There was a time when a player was injured every day. The best moments were the victories away from home. For me those were a great satisfaction. What we did was not normal.”
Do you expect a “thank you” from the fans, even after the difficult moment that came after the defeat at home against Cosenza?
«You score 4 goals at home from Cosenza and the public rightly criticizes you, it’s part of our job. Anyone who doesn’t accept this can’t be a coach.”
