30 years to go, 202 cm of agility, Alex Erati between the Regular season and Play offs this year has landed 228 balls of which 79 blocks, but it is only the 7 errors and 12 blocks suffered in 28 matches that establish him among the category infirmables.
In the two weekends of the post-season, then, he went wild: the Italian Cup path saw him shine, together with Candeli, at the top of the central rankings with 58 points, of which 24 winning blocks, 1 error and zero blocks conceded, while against Grottazzolina he recorded 5 of the 8 blocks in total which earned Consoli the Super Cup. Total: 108 blocks which make him number 1, in jersey and in fact, in that fundamental role in the season just ended.
A guarantee, behind which lies a lot of work to achieve that constant growth that coach Zambonardi highlights thus: “Alex is a serious boy and a hard worker who has brought a lot of quality to Brescia. He is a complete player and has always made himself available to staff and teammates. During the year I saw improvements in blocking, in serving – which he modified to favor other players – and also in defense. I’m sure it will prove to be an essential element for the group we are outlining.”
The Milanese centre-back looks back on his year as a Toucan like this: “I’m sorry we got out of the Play Offs not because we lost – Siena was an excellent opponent, built to go up – but because of how we created that opportunity in game 2 in Brescia, who we then saw running away. However, that episode helped us on our way to the Cup: the common bitterness united us even more. We knew we were in good shape and we arrived at the Final Four with the best spirit: in Cuneo we all played on a neutral pitch, no one had an advantage. With Porto Viro we performed a small miracle, we were in difficulty but we didn’t give up and we came out of it with even greater confidence. Once we got through the semi-final, we all felt we could do it. The strength of the group is what allowed us to subvert the prediction also in Grottazzolina, winner of all the important matches in its home country, up until the eve of the Super Cup. We played very well, with great harmony.
I can only be happy with this first season – concludes Alex -. I don’t look at statistics and rankings, I know that I have improved my serve, opting for a more tactical and safe one that leaves room for heavy hitters, allowing them to force and at the limit make mistakes; I know that I did well on the wall and I know that I have a good synergy with Tiberti. For the coming year I can only hope that we will be able to establish the same harmony that we have breathed this year and which has supported us even in the most critical phases. Today in Brescia the expectations are certainly high because we are starting from two Cups and from a Super League dream that is still there, to be achieved, and we are certainly not holding back.”
