“We expected third place, also because at the beginning of the season we were aiming for something more, and even now the objective has not changed: we want Serie B, and we aim to win the playoffs. We have acquired such strength of character that we really can playing against everyone, the last few months of the championship, especially at home, have been decidedly positive”: he doesn’t beat around the bush in the interview given exclusively to TuttoMercatoWeb.comThe talented right back Simone Zanon, who with his Carrarese is preparing to take over the playoff race.
Where he arrives as third place, in the group that was won by Cesena: “We knew that the team from Romagna would be the direct competitor, the squad had been set up to win, while Torres was the surprise, and really congratulations also to They have always maintained top positions, also playing good football.”
And exactly like Torres, you too observed a stop before resuming. Is it more useful or compromising to stay still?
“I think third place is the best ranking position, as far as the playoff grid is concerned, because as runners-up you stay still for too long and risk losing your match rhythm, with third place you get the right amount of rest, enough to recharge ahead of another mini tournament.”
Where the most formidable opponent is…
“By arriving with the right motivations and the right mentality we shouldn’t worry too much about others, but about ourselves. Then, if I had to name names, I’d say that Avellino, Padua, Vicenza and Triestina surprised me a lot.”
Let’s now come to your staff: what pushed you to accept Carrarese’s proposal at a perhaps particular moment in your career?
“I came from relegation with Sangiuliano City, and the Apuan team called me straight away, showing great interest in me: something that gave me confidence. Before signing, I spoke to some of my teammates who had been here in Carrara, they all liked me spoke very well about the square and the people of the club, who really love playing football. Even my agent, Giovanni Bia, supported this solution which I am happy to have accepted.”
Among other things, your path is particular…
“Probably yes. I started kicking the ball for the first time in a team in my town, Lana, where my father stopped playing just when I started, so much so that my first coach was my father’s last. Then I landed at SudTirol, where I went through the entire youth system, so much so that I played for Berretti under age and made my debut in the first team at 16: in the 2018-2019 season I made my debut in the Italian Cup against Frosinone, the year of their promotion to Serie A, then to the championship in Ravenna. In January, however, I decided to go to Napoli, in the Primavera, even though I had the opportunity to train with the first team in the year of Ancelotti and Gattuso: a dream as a Milan fan. “.
It is often debated whether Ancelotti is the greatest coach in the world. Do you confirm?
“Absolutely yes. And not only as a technician, but also as a person.”
What do you take away from his teachings?
“To be honest, the greatest teachings were given to me by a sacred monster like Mertens, who together with Insigne and Koulibaly had taken me, so to speak, under their protective wing. At the moment of my first call-up with the first team, my coach, Baronio, told me to always remember that the great champions in training would always help me, without making my mistakes weigh on me. And so it was.”
This is the beautiful part. But going back, after a debut in Serie C, would you go back to the Primavera?
“At that time I didn’t accuse him of returning to the Primavera, it was my dream to land in a top club in Serie A, but with hindsight I would never “relegate”. After leaving the Primavera I then went to Serie D, and I I grew up more over there, with the grown-ups: youth sector football is different anyway. But I’m not looking back, I’m happy with my path, and focused on the goal: I want B.”
