Press conference day at Bologna, on the eve of their historic debut in the Champions League. The rossoblù return to play in the main European competition after 60 years and for the occasion – together with the coach Vincenzo Italian – Lorenzo De Silvestri and Riccardo Orsolini also spoke (here are the words of the two players). Here are the full statements of the rossoblù coach: “In this first Champions League conference of ours I wanted with me my right-hand man, Lorenzo De Silvestri, leader of the pack of this team and who it was inevitable to have here with us today, and my left-hand man, Riccardo Orsolini, who represents this team also for what concerns last season. On our part there is great pride and curiosity, and the will to face this opportunity in the best way possible”.
Seeing all three of you gives a great sense of unity: is this necessary to leave and help each other on the pitch too?
“I like that this is perceived, because it is the message we want to send, from when we get on the bus to when we go to dinner, breakfast and lunch. This is also important considering the teams we will face, which on paper seem stronger than us. However, we are convinced that we can cause difficulties for all our opponents, underlining the two excellent performances we have had here at home”.
What is it like to experience the Champions League as a coach?
“I’m also very excited. It will be a beautiful journey to live with great pride. We don’t want to be extras but to put everyone in difficulty”.
What is the level of this Champions League?
“The level is high. We start by facing an experienced opponent in this competition. With this new format, however, we have the opportunity, especially at home, to show what we are worth, starting tomorrow. We have to be ready.”
Could tomorrow’s match mark a new starting point for this season?
“Since we are on a new path, we are forced to draw positive ideas, among which I recognize those 20 minutes in Como in which we saw that the group is united and solid and that it did everything to fix a game that had started badly for us. In these four games we saw a good Bologna at home, while away we conceded too many errors and too many counterattacks. I hope that those 20 minutes were an important injection of confidence for the group in view of tomorrow’s game that we have prepared in these two days, with great maturity and willingness of the group”.
How far are we from the Bologna that Vincenzo Italiano imagined?
“We are getting used to it. At the moment we still have some ups and downs: I have seen situations in which we did what we had tried, others in which it was clear that we had not yet blended some concepts well. I believe that two months are not enough to make your mark on a team, considering then the many players busy with the national teams and those injured. We will have to be good at interpreting the various moments of the matches in the best possible way, starting from tomorrow. This is a team that has shown in the past that there is no such thing as home and away matches: we will have to be good at recreating this”.
What is your promise to the people of Bologna, which you will never fail to keep?
“In two games I understood what the Bologna public wants to see: commitment, sweat, sacrifice and good play. We are therefore obliged to show all this, for our public”
Shakhtar is a very young team that won well last weekend…
“We already projected ourselves towards Shakhtar on the bus coming back from Como. They are a young team with a strong offensive projection, with valuable internationals. We must try to be aggressive and work well on 1-on-1, avoiding mistakes as much as possible. However, we believe we can cause them problems”.
On a personal level, how are you experiencing this experience?
“It helps me a lot to think about what I’ve experienced in the last two years, touring Europe and feeling the atmosphere of stadiums and very heated fans. I know what we’re going to face and my past experience has taught me how to manage emotions. I believe that this experience, just as it helped me, will help a lot the guys who have never experienced Europe. I can’t wait to get on the pitch.”
The beauty of sport is putting a team that is living in a war zone on the same level as the others.
“We talked about it: this company and these guys are experiencing something that no one would ever wish for. We all hope that conflicts like this will end quickly. We have great respect for these guys who are training far from home in order to be able to continue their passion.”