Francesco Cottarelli is the new setter of Pool Libertas Cantù. This is confirmed by the men’s volleyball club itself which, after saying goodbye to the now former Matteo Pedron, has placed its bets on the expert athlete from Verona born in 1996.
In his last season at OmiFer Palmi, in the A3 series, Cottarelli has a fair amount of experience between A1 and A2 behind him.
«Francesco – explains coach Alessandro Mattiroli – is a player who I saw play a lot last year and he impressed me both with his characteristics and with his management of the team. He is a very physical setter, with important centimeters and physicality, and he also impressed me with how he handled his attackers. I am very happy to be able to have a setter of this level among us since he confirmed his qualities in Palmi.”
«The call came from Cantù – says the new Libertas director – and I was flattered by having received the proposal from a historic A2 series club, a category in which I have played, but never as a “first player”. Being the starting setter is a great challenge for me: you have to be good at feeling the moments, you have to know your players well and I am very stimulated by this challenge.”
At almost 28 years old, Cottarelli will therefore have the chance to experience the second national category with the insignia of a starter. An opportunity to be fully exploited game after game, with the expectation of doing well and, in doing so, taking the team to the highest possible level.
The upcoming tournament will not be easy to face. In this first part of the market, moreover, the most prestigious teams have greatly strengthened their personnel with the clear intention of aiming for the Super League.
«The championship will be strange for me: I see a gap between the top teams like Brescia, Catania and Cuneo, compared to the others; I see many teams that will change the sextet and have made bets. We will therefore have to see whether these bets will pay off or not. There are many young guys who have done well in the A3 series, but the A2 series is another category and we will need to find the right mix. On a personal level, I would like to continue my growth path, especially in managing the team. I will play with important players, who I know and have played against, and I know I can count on them for this”, he concludes.
