After coach Nicola Brienza (there are rumors of an adventure abroad for him), assistant coach Luca Angella also bids farewell to Pistoia. Another farewell that confirms the new ownership’s desire to bring about a real revolution, especially on a technical level. At this point it is quite clear that the club has different ideas than those expressed to date on the type of team and the game to be proposed, so further technical and tactical changes are to be expected. And the extent of the revolution lies entirely in the profile of the new coach, who, barring reversals, will be the American – transplanted to Thailand for years – David Bobalik. But let’s go in order. Angella says goodbye after eighteen years full of emotion: first as youth coach, where she achieved important results in every category from Minibasketball to Under19 Excellence, reaching seven national finals, then in the coaching staff of the first team between Serie A and A2 with 192 tokens of presence. All this while always showing the utmost professionalism, dedication to the cause and attachment to the shirt, becoming, in fact, an acquired Pistoia native.
“Due to the personal relationships that have been created over the years, it’s goodbye – states Luca Angella – and as soon as I have the opportunity I will always come to Pistoia, which has become my second home. Certainly, when I arrived here, I would never have thought to spend eighteen years of my life there and I must say that we managed to get some great satisfaction, both when I was in the youth sector and with the first team. Seeing so many guys who have passed through our teams being professionals today is certainly the thing the most beautiful thing I have left. Big thanks to the whole city and to all the fans for how they have always supported me.” “I would like to thank Luca for his precious help in these eighteen years within the club – adds the sporting director, Marco Sambugaro –: he has always given his best, starting from the youth sector and then arriving in the first team and therefore I cannot I wish him good luck for the future.”
Estra is in full swing: but if on the one hand, the corporate one, things are now defined with the new Board of Directors and the Ron Rowan presidency, the other, the technical one, is all to be invented, starting from the trainer. As they said, the negotiation with David Bobalik seems to be in the home stretch: only the details are missing. The American coach, who has lived in Thailand for several years where he coached the women’s national team and currently directs the youth project at Wellington College, is a friend of Rowan and would be the one designated to lead Pistoia next season. A full-blown bet for a European championship. Therefore, from a ‘senior assistant’ perspective, the rumors of Pistoia’s interest in experts Luca Dalmonte and Zare Markovski could make sense (the former involved in the A2 survival play-offs with Nardò, the latter free after his adventure at Varese Bkt Academy). Finally, Tommaso Della Rosa could remain in his place as third. We’ll see, waiting for the official announcement of the case.
Benigni–Innocenti
