The red and white sporting director Marco Sambugaro makes the cards for Estra Pistoia in view of these last two days of the championship.
Did the defeats against Pesaro and Brindisi complicate your path to the play offs?
“They complicated it a bit, a victory at home or against Pesaro would have given us the certainty of being in the play offs but everything is still very open, there are many direct clashes to be played. However, I would like to clarify one aspect “.
Which?
“We must keep in mind where we started and what our objective was because it is a very important aspect that should not be forgotten. The goal to reach was salvation and we achieved it well in advance beyond all expectations, now everyone thinks that we’re in the playoffs but the team wasn’t built for this. The season went great and now we’re in the running for a goal that wasn’t even conceivable at the beginning and if it doesn’t arrive it would still be an extraordinary year.”
It’s true that Pistoia’s season deserves applause but since dreaming costs nothing, you can also venture some bigger thoughts. The team, however, must regain the luster of its best days.
“We have to go back to being ugly, dirty and bad if we want to achieve something fantastic, rediscover the competitive fury that brought us this far, with humility, without thinking of anything but ourselves and do it for forty minutes. Brienza is right when he says that everyone must bring forty minutes of concentration and not go on an alternating current basis. Against Brindisi we had too much confidence in the way we played, thinking that at home with our audience and them being last there would be no problems and instead there were. lack of competitive anger, the mentality of attacking the game and closing it”.
You, who were a great player and experienced these moments, what must the team do to rediscover this competitive fury?
“We must have the humility to understand it, the players must look each other in the eye before the match and say they want to bring home the victory at all costs, no matter what but we have to win.”
At this point, is it more difficult to win in Trento or against Varese at home?
“They are two difficult matches. Trento is playing at home to improve their position in the standings, Varese could reach the final day without having anything left to ask of the championship and therefore with a clear mind and given the offensive potential there is nothing left to do be careful. Let’s say it’s better to think about one match at a time so let’s focus on the match against Trento also because I honestly don’t know what to choose.”
Maurizio Innocenti
