Marco Bortolami talks about the relationship with Quesada, the Benetton market and the difficulty of “cutting” players

After having taken stock of the season just ended, in the second part of the interview given to OnRugby Marco Bortolami instead addressed another equally important topic: the future of the green and whites. Important new signings such as Lynagh and Gallagher have already been made official, and on the other hand 12 players will be leaving, a very painful choice for the coach but physiological when playing at such a high level. Furthermore, Bortolami spoke about how he is satisfied with the coverage of the hooker role, explaining that there will be no further interventions in the role, and he also spoke about the constant comparison with the Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada and the need to discuss when taking decisions.

Read also: The first part of the interview with Marco Bortolami

12 farewells and some new arrivals have already been made official, but in any case the Benetton 2024-25 squad will be in continuity with the previous year, except in one department: the hookers. How much will Nicotera and Lucchesi’s farewells weigh?

“I am very sorry, and everyone is sorry, to let go of two guys like Lucchesi and Nicotera. We gave them great trust until the end and it was repaid with a huge commitment even at the end of the season, and this further motivates the great sporting and personal respect I have for them. On the other hand, sport is made up of evolutions and moments in which to move on: they felt that this was the moment to do so and they made this decision. Lucchesi was at the end of his contract, he was free to leave and so it happened, Nicotera asked us to be able to test himself in a different championship and we didn’t feel like going against such a great desire of his. On the other hand, we also made this choice because we are convinced that we are covered and prepared in this department.”

What is the situation in the hookers department? Will you still intervene on the market?

“We have Bernasconi who has made very good growth, as demonstrated by his performance in Pretoria. He is a very young player but he has an intensity and a decisive influence on the pitch, and I am sure that he will manage to become one of our first choices. We have seen little of Maile this year due to a whole series of dynamics: between injuries and his balance which did not allow him to find the best form, but in the last week he was fighting to enter the 23 for the match against the Bulls so he’s back to his best and he’s a guy who plays the better the more he plays. He and Bernasconi will be good confirmations. On the other side, Manfredi has arrived, he has experience in this championship and is hungry to emerge. Furthermore, one of our great tasks is precisely to develop young Italians: I believe that Marco has that hunger to come out and those qualities that can allow him to play as a protagonist. Obviously he will have to be good at fitting into our work and play system, but I’m sure he will do it. Furthermore, there is also Gasperini, who comes to us from the under 20s and will be a young man we will focus on: he will be our fourth option. And then we will try to develop another young Italian in the role so that we can also be covered in the years to come. This is the situation, we are calm and covered. Then clearly if something abnormal were to happen in terms of numbers and injuries we will look for the necessary countermeasures, but at the moment we are satisfied.”

So no other purchases? Does he also deny the rumor of Zarantonello’s possible arrival?

“I deny it, yes.”

Among those who will leave Benetton there are also players who were in the national team up until the World Cup such as Padovani and Pettinelli, as well as boys who have played a lot in green and white over the years such as Lazzaroni. Why weren’t they able to make space for themselves?

“They are all guys who over the years have had a decisive role in the growth of this team, and even if they played little this year they still helped the group to evolve and achieve its objectives: my respect for them, even on an emotional level, is very big. On the other hand, it is not always easy to carve out space: Lazzaroni’s shoulder injury prevented him from taking to the field in the last year and with Scrafton’s return full-time we have a large number of second lines and we have had to make choices . Padovani also had injury problems in the second part of the season and Lynagh and Gallagher will arrive for him, two guys who will have a big impact on the team. There are also players who failed to emerge like Pettinelli because other players like Izekor emerged and Halafihi himself returned to a very very high performance. They are the most painful choices because they are guys who have given their heart and soul to the team, and for me it is important to underline that these are physiological decisions in the evolution of a team but painful, because I would have brought these guys with me for another 10 years ”.

The Italian football coach Spalletti also spoke about it a few days ago, about how painful it is to “cut” someone…

“Yes, because the work of a coach unfortunately creates a very strong emotional bond with the players. You have to love them to help them improve, you try to understand what aspects you can smooth out or change, and then you push them so that they can perform at their best. And in return they give you everything they have, when you see that a boy gives his all in such a genuine way, making these choices is even more painful, but unfortunately it is part of top-level sport and they are physiological dynamics.”

How do you see this summer tour of Italy? Can the Azzurri do better than the last tours of this type?

“It’s a demanding tour against 3 tough but within our reach teams. I am convinced that the Azzurri’s Six Nations and then our season finale confirmed the quality and constant competitiveness of our players. This is one of the themes of constant discussion with coach Quesada: our victories help Italy’s victories, Italy’s victories help ours. It is a virtuous circle that we want to continue to fuel. Clearly this tour hides difficulties because it is very long and comes after a very long season that began with the World Cup, some guys have played a lot of minutes and will perhaps have to take this extra step before having some rest. This will have an impact on the start of next season for a more or less large number of players but the important thing is that the winning mentality continues to feed and manifest itself in performances.”

How are your relations with Quesada? What do you talk about when you talk?

“Very good, we talk every week and recently, during the preparation for the decisive match against Edinburgh, he was here. He came to see our training sessions and meetings to understand how we work. We discuss a lot about the performance of the boys and their use: for example, there are boys who perhaps don’t play because they need to rest or who stay out for technical reasons, and I explain to Gonzalo my reasons. Even the choice to leave Michele Lamaro at home from the tour in South Africa (against the Sharks and Bulls in May, ed.) was difficult to make, but at that moment his priority was to rest. There is a close and satisfying relationship with Gonzalo, and I believe that this also helps to have a certain coherence with the players.”

Francesco Palma

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