Questions and answers to Mister Stefano De Massimi, in the Press Room, the day after the 2-1 victory in Grottaferrata which handed direct salvation to Vjs Velletri as newly promoted teams in this category and after a tough round against teams emblazoned and accustomed to other squares such as Monterotondo, Rieti, Fiano.
One of the most beautiful and exciting pages in the recent history of Vjs Velletri was written in Grottaferrata. How did you prepare for the match and did it go the way you imagined it?
What I didn’t want to see was excessive nervousness. That thinking too much that doesn’t make your legs turn and at the first difficulty also your head. In the pre-match I advised the boys not to look at the banality of a final result but to consider this last match as a great opportunity to highlight who we are today. Demonstrate that you are an excellent student after studying for a whole year. Demonstrate that you live the team as a group and not as opportunists. Demonstrate that you have game principles that suit you well. Demonstrate that you believe in what we propose and respect those who support us on and off the pitch beyond the result.
In the first half we saw a cautious albeit offensive team, in the second half you instead put on the pitch an incessant effort in the first 15 minutes which led to 2-0. Did the 1-2 goal raise the level of nervousness?
Probably, based on what we then saw in the 90 minutes of play, the reading of the second half was decisive. Once we adapted to the surface and the dimensions of the pitch, we took courage by standing up in constant search of one-on-one matches, thus canceling the “open balls” and increasing the number of duels won. The great determination and freshness of those who took over did the rest and not even the goal conceded undermined the certainty that we were deservedly taking home all that was at stake.
At the end he made numerous changes, completely changing the advanced department in particular. What dictated the technical choices and how did the race plan change, with a lead to maintain (and a draw which, if it had unfortunately been suffered, would still have guaranteed reaching the finish line)?
Numerically and not only, our offensive package offered us continuous possibilities of choice and this also happened on Sunday. I think it was the department where we could always rotate and refresh depending on the needs or difficulties that the races presented to us. Also thanks to their technical and manufacturing qualities, today we can celebrate having achieved the goal together. Of course I believe that in their hearts each of the boys wanted to achieve more in terms of goals and assists but they are all young and time and the next seasons are on their side.
However, once again the tendency to produce many offensive actions while collecting little in terms of goals was confirmed. If it is true that yesterday two goals arrived, which were also beautiful in terms of construction and realization, on the other hand Vjs Velletri wasted a lot. Is this one of the flaws of this season?
I am convinced that those who have been alongside us all year have often seen us as proactive and never speculative. Despite the jump in category we never lost our character, on the contrary, thinking back to many readings now with the finish line in my pocket, I get that smile of someone who knows how much we pushed ourselves to the limit in certain moments of the season to mask difficulties or distrust. Difficulties are welcome, otherwise what is the point of structuring the work week? Mistrust unfortunately does a whole other job and spreads negative chemistry but I think we beat/defeated 2 to 1 on Sunday. Who knows how many posts of pure malice and judgment were no longer sent from 1pm onwards…
Direct salvation as a freshman is an important result, especially in a group considered by many professionals to be among the most complex in the Promotion, also given the reputation of some teams accustomed to professionalism. What struck you, in general, about this group and the teams that inhabited it?
Everything is already there in the question. As a staff we were very lucky to compete in such an important group in terms of quality of names and sporting facilities. Six seasons ago, on my first trips driving the VJS, I remember pitches without stands, often at the limit of practicability between mud and lime scattered in the suburbs. Those who were with me from the beginning remember this well. Today, having played in important facilities such as Monterosi, Monterotondo, Vicovaro, Riano, Tor di Quinto and of course at the Rieti stadium certifies our growth with a humble but constant step which has taken us from the Third Division with the fans on the field to rise again to the Promotion firmly in our hands .
There was a particularly tough moment of the year, perhaps during the first leg against Vivace, which they lost 3 to 0. How did you react to the tough moments that the season threw at you?
I believe that difficult times go hand in hand with a low level of communication. For me, communication is not just giving initial training before taking to the field, reprimanding an athlete for inappropriate behavior or drawing on paper and sharing a set piece. Knowing how to communicate with your players is above all knowing how to listen to your players. Knowing how to communicate with your staff is above all knowing how to listen to your staff. The final decision is always up to me but it is made up of a million interactions I had during the week. Practically every decision contains a little of everything that the miracle of communication makes legible and therefore ready for use. When choosing a person as technical director, their human quality can make the difference more than the obsessive search for patterns. I believe in this and the more human qualities are recognized the more the staff and collaborators who will be added will be people with affinities and the whole company will benefit from it in a sort of cascade of sporting culture and sense of belonging destined to do well.
In the second round, is there a match or a moment that represented a positive turning point for Vjs Velletri?
The victory in Vicovaro certainly made us emotional for how it arrived and gave us a lot in terms of enthusiasm and newfound esteem, especially in the proposal that from that moment on accompanied us until we reached the goal of remaining in the Promotion. That morning in the mini changing room where we changed, I spoke with my heart in my hands to the boys because Bernardi’s father, to whom I am very close, had passed away during the night, but this is not a secret. I remember that that speech on the teachings that give us emotions in everyday life but above all in team sports had an enormous impact by creating intense positive chemistry in the group. That match, won 1-2 in the 93rd minute at 11 against 9, was certainly special in its own unique way.
Taking a look at the statistics, which have their relative value, one fact emerges: the team has practically scored the same points both at home and away. A balance that can be interpreted in a particular way?
Numbers never lie but should be used exclusively on a basis that looks towards improvement. The loot obtained away from home certifies our gaming identity which remains proactive and not speculative. We often managed to play matches on equal terms, unfortunately getting stuck in a few missteps that we had to swallow, but direct experience has always encouraged us within the staff to have clarity of judgment and the search for solutions without pointing fingers. Pointing the finger is the solution of the distracted reader or the occasional character. It’s not our way. The spoils obtained at home certify that we have a duty to believe we can become good in this category too. In past seasons, Scavo B has always been one of our strong points and a source of goals and points. This year too it was, but we were playing in a group that demanded zero lapses in determination and technical plays that were increasingly closer to the perfect execution of the gesture. This is why our work never ends and the demand for improvement comes from the raised bars that we set ourselves as a continuous common goal. And it all depends on how you live and propose the week.
What are the prospects for the future and what should Vjs Velletri hope for after a direct salvation in an iron group that certifies the growth process of a club that in 2017 started again, almost for fun, from the Third Category?
Confirming yourself and achieving your goals always remains the most difficult thing at every level of sport. The times recommend sustainability and a lot of work on the heads preaching sports culture. When I talk about sustainability I don’t go into economic merits which are of little concern to my figure but I remain with the romantic idea that VJS is a popular matrix and on the lips of every corner of the city and this sort of give/take must last forever. No false promise or sudden economic audacity deserves to break a mechanism that turns and I am sure will continue to turn. I also believe that in terms of sporting culture we now have a good working group in hand. Staff and team grow hand in hand with experiences and this is because during the season the club was good at providing us with support for every step forward. We could have done it from the beginning of the season as I requested but today the meaning would have been lost and it would have been considered necessary. So doing it when you have to and well has more value and becomes, as I like to say, “know-how”.
Thanks?
Very difficult because you always have the feeling of forgetting someone. Behind having achieved the objective there is truly a world of chats, pizzini, occasional meetings in car parks and much more bordering on tenacity. I thank the entire families who I believe are the true heroes of the story because while we were missing from home and we knew what we were doing, they imagined us on the pitch showing unlimited trust. It was a great strength. Just like the Sundays spent following us minute by minute on the dedicated apps. I thank the staff in the people of Moscato, Bernardi, Bianchini, Bologna, Cicala, Mr De Celis, Allegri, Iavarone, Cosetti, Dessi because it was truly a pleasant journey together. I thank Massimo, Carmine and Stefano the Pres who never stopped worrying about us for a moment. I thank Mr Fernando and Mr Caterina for the time dedicated to the filming which was important for the goal achieved. I thank Valentina and Rocco for the updates from the secretariat and the support for social communication. I thank the team for everything they have conveyed to me and for all the human and technical qualities made available for a common feeling. I thank all the dear people who I do not mention but who know very well knowing me that I am talking about them in this sentence. Thank you for giving me continuous positive thoughts. I thank our fans, a true twelfth man on the pitch who is always present whether at home or far away away. Many times in speeches I have taken you as an example out of a sense of belonging. I am sure that by achieving the goal we have also made you proud of the team. Now we can celebrate. Now we have to celebrate.
