NV
May 16, 2024 06:15
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Head, heart, character to spare and a special dedication to Manrico Vaiani, who died prematurely last Monday 13 May and who was long remembered by all the Libertassino people. Including coach Marco Andreazza, who, commenting on the splendid victory over Faenza and reaching the semi-final, recalled a scene that left an impression on him as soon as he arrived in Livorno. “Witnessing the great Manrico training – said the coach of Akern Libertas Livorno –, I think with 14-15 year old kids, a phrase that he often repeated stuck in my mind: ‘think first, think better’. This evening we thought first and thought better: we won with our heads but also with a little bit of technique, because we were good at penetrating under the basket. Now we have to reset because with Jesi it will be a completely different series.”
Also a mention of refereeing. “I don’t want to dwell on it, but my most experienced players were treated like 13 year olds, the referee’s rules changed seven times during the match and we were called for invented fouls. In predictions for the semi-final series, and hopefully for the final, it is necessary to review the referees’ work a little to ensure uniformity throughout the match, also lowering the tone a little on the pitch. Having said that, congratulations to Faenza and to us too, now it’s time to celebrate.”
Dark mood, however, for coach Gigi Garelli: this time his Faenza was unable to rein in Fantoni and his teammates. “The approach was too soft – attacks the Raggisolaris coach -, we spent a lot to get to game 5, but we had a first half that was a photocopy of game 1. The tension probably played a bad joke, thanks also from Libertas who attacked us immediately. We made mistakes on both sides of the pitch, but above all in defense we didn’t do well. We were back at -8 and ball in hand, then we left that three-pointer to Lucarelli who closed it We knew it would be difficult, but I expected a tougher mental approach from my players.” In closing, Garelli wanted to say a few words for Amos Ricci. “He is the only player left in my management and tonight he played Ricci, with an absurd consistency on both sides of the pitch. But all of Libertas played hard, they rightly took off and we weren’t able to come back” .
