CARRARA. «We did something incredible. It was a year characterized by many highs and few lows. We didn’t manage to win the group, but we showed that we could have our say in the playoffs, beating teams with an important reputation. We made history, in a city that had been waiting for nothing else for a long time.”
These are the words of Marco Bleve upon returning to Lecce from loan, after Carrarese’s promotion to Serie B. This year – we point out to the goalkeeper – Carrarese has stood out for its excellent defensive phase. You have finished many matches with a clean sheet. Further satisfaction for you in particular. «We collected 19 clean sheets in the championship and 4 in the playoffs. We did a great job. Credit also goes to my teammates.”
What was it like to fully experience such a long and exhausting mini-tournament like the playoffs?
«It was an impressive tour de force. I also realized it on my own skin, because I had been dealing with a little problem for two months, I resisted, but playing every three days was really difficult.”
The key was, in addition to the mental strength of the group, also in Mr. Calabro’s ability to manage everyone’s energies through substitutions.
“Very true. The players were almost all rotated with clips of matches, from the start or during the match in progress. Carrarese was the only team to reach the end with zero injuries. The credit goes to the coach, but also to our athletic trainer (Michele Balloni ndc) who did a good job. All the technical staff gave their all, as did the healthcare staff, available 24 hours a day to achieve this important objective.”
Throughout the playoffs, Carrarese impressed many observers with the game she was able to express and her brilliance in running. From the goal, therefore from a decidedly privileged position, what sensations did the team give?
«I have to be honest: the only team we suffered was Juventus NG. The Bianconeri were the only ones who really made us suffer. The other opponents were certainly strong teams with strong names, but we fought them openly. Compared to all the others, facing Juve was much more difficult. Regarding the characteristics of our game, we decided to defend ourselves, going forward, i.e. pressing high. The coach instilled in us the mentality that, if we had to defend ourselves, we had to do it in the opponent’s half of the field. When we recovered the ball, we were able to showcase our technical qualities, because we are a strong team. Calabro managed to give us extra energy and self-esteem and we gave everything he asked of us on the pitch.”
This is a tactical key that is becoming increasingly popular in modern football. We also remember Lippi’s first Juve, who won with 4-3-3.
«The coach brought us examples of the game of Antonio Conte and Gian Piero Gasperini. He showed us Atalanta’s Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen. He instilled this mentality in us. Obviously there are different levels and players, but the imprint was the same.”
