Speaking at the microphones of TVPlaythe manager of the technical area of Lecce, Pantaleo Corvinowanted to express his satisfaction with the salvation achieved this season: “Another extraordinary achievement, the result of a lot of work. And when you combine work and quality, you have followed the right path. In Lecce, in the last three years we have achieved great results , with economic sustainability and capitalizing, which is not easy. It is what has always characterized me in my career, but in particular here, where the president wanted to bring me back, and for one son of his territory there is always that something more to give. I think that the results I have achieved demonstrate my value, among those I have obtained with the first teams and with the youth selections”.
The best and most difficult moment of this season?
“The hardest moment was the one in which we had to make a painful decision, after Lecce-Verona (the dismissal of D’Aversa, ed.), but the right choice had to be made for our team, our club and our fans . The best moment was the victory against Sassuolo, the joy of our fans towards a goal that was materializing was wonderful.”
With Gotti he demonstrated once again that he knows how to choose coaches.
“The results obtained are the result of the work done on and off the pitch. It should be remembered what Baroni and D’Aversa have done. I knew Gotti having had him in Bologna as Donadoni’s second, he should be applauded for having entered our team reality in a short time. He trusted us and did well, we did the same, being saved three Sundays early was a really great result.”
Did you expect such an impact from Krstovic?
“When you work on alternative markets and more in glimpsing the potential qualities of a player rather than the established ones, you must necessarily have the courage to take risks. This is a valid argument for Krstovic and for many other footballers, such as Hjulmand for example, who he brought technical and economic benefits: thanks to his sale, we were able to acquire several players.”
Is Hjulmand a regret for Italians?
“They say the grass is always greener on the other side, but sometimes in football this doesn’t happen. Nobody thought they could spend 20 million on him, Sporting did it, everyone makes their own assessments.”
Gotti said that Dorgu has similar characteristics to Bale, with the right proportions.
“Dorgu is certainly attractive on the market, we have made Italian football discover many high-level players. Falcone, Baschirotto, Pongracic, Gallo, Gendrey, Ramadani, but others must also be added to these. We focus a lot on potential, as mentioned, but also on the prospects coming out of the Primavera champions of Italy. When I arrived they were in Serie B, before bringing them back into vogue. Players like Dorgu, who is already in great demand, have a potential that those looking from the outside still don’t have able to fully appreciate them, they are the children of this line of thought, that is, of cultivating potential at home and looking for it on alternative markets. Dorgu went from full-back to full-back, he had the ability to replace Banda well who was injured.”
What do you want to add?
“Every club would always like to keep the best players. We have made important transfers in the past, now we don’t need them and we would like to confirm the current team. But we also know that faced with the requests and ambitions of the players and proposals from other clubs, it is difficult to say no. We will not hold back the dissatisfied, but the proposals we receive must also satisfy our needs.”
What is your winning recipe?
“In fact, it is very difficult to work with a young team in Serie A and be able to capitalize, to combine company results with sporting results. An almost extreme exercise. It’s nice when everything goes well, but football is the result of results and when we don’t succeed, there can be many negative results. The culture of defeat is not widely accepted in Italy.
Any failed negotiations that made you feel more sorry than others?
“Perhaps the last one, that of Ferguson. There were now few details missing. Then the news came out, and it became someone else’s business.”
Did he come close to Milan, Juventus or other big clubs?
“I had an important journey between the championship and European cups. In my best moment in my career, I cannot hide the fact that I could have gone to two or three clubs where I could have fought to win the scudetto, but I won’t name names. In any case I work and I do my best where I feel good. It happened at Fiorentina and it happens at Lecce, where I found clubs and cities that supported me and made me feel at home. So I also know how to say no to certain proposals, as I have done in my career I don’t regret it, when I decide something I do it with my heart.”
