“It would have been nice to be able to play the last match with everyone available; instead, there were some heavy suspensions like those of Di Cesare and Benali, in addition to the forced absences of Sibilli and Ricci”. The former Bari coach Pasquale Marinowhose contract expired yesterday, spoke about his last match, against Palermo, on the Apulian bench, then retracing the various themes of the season starting from his dismissal: “Usually when there is an exemption it is because we are trying to improve, therefore, they thought it was necessary to do this. Sometimes you are right, sometimes a little less. – continues Marino a Tuttobari.com – We must calmly accept the decisions and there is little we can do about it. The decision was made by the company and the director. I was so sorry, I was hoping to have a few more weeks because, after Palermo, there were games a little more within reach against teams in crisis like Lecco who were coming off a difficult moment. Everyone makes their choices for the good of Bari and we must accept them calmly”.
The coach then focuses on the relationship with the sporting director Ciro Polito who said goodbye at the end of the season and has now arrived in Catanzaro: “I like to separate the work relationship from the friendship. The latter exists and remains between the two of us, then everyone can have her point of view. – continues Marino – The thing that pleases me most is that Bari was saved because the way the situation was, it was close to drama.”
Then there is also space for the figure of the president Luigi De Laurentiis: “From what he has shown me he is very attached to Bari and always tries to do the best for this team. She is an excellent person, when she came to us for dinner before home games she treated everyone the same way. – concludes Marino – Even after the dismissal we spoke and he was sorry for what had happened, also for the relationship of esteem that had been created between us. Then, work is another thing and everyone makes their own choices. He always shows respect and will to do the best.”
“All the teams that come from a relegation from A to B, or the teams that are experiencing a situation like that of Bari, which is even worse than a relegation, physiologically suffer a lot from it.. – Marino continues speaking about the difficulties in the last season – There was a slightly depressed atmosphere because these guys had played an amazing championship and they cared about it. Before returning to being what they were, naturally it took time. The season also started with great bad luck. If Mignani, who I respect a lot, had had people like Diaw at his disposal, he would have won many of the games that he then drew. Even when I arrived, we scored 8 points in 4 games with a heavy attack with Nasti and Diaw. It was also a very unlucky year, between injuries and some players who performed less than expected, we managed to do less than expected”.