These are the statements of the Hellas Verona coach, Paul Zanettireleased to the club’s official channels on the eve of the match against Torino, a match valid for the fifth day of Serie A scheduled for tomorrow, Friday 20 September, at 20.45 at the Bentegodi stadium:
Mister, little time to recover between the late game on Monday night and the early game on Friday…
“I understand the question, but I don’t want to give the team any alibis for this. It’s part of the calendar and its difficulties, of national breaks and other situations. These aspects force us to be even more of a team, to unite the bonds and not to look for alibis. We will go on the pitch with those who are better, and today in the afternoon training session we will prepare for the match as best we can. We will do our best and we must find the psycho-physical energy within us, also because we will be playing at home in front of an extraordinary crowd that is making records in terms of season tickets, and is giving us great confidence. From this point of view too, we must absolutely not disappoint and find the energy to go beyond all the difficulties”.
Who do you think you can recover between Duda, Frese and Suslov?
“Duda and Suslov are not recovered, while we will try to bring Frese to the bench. In addition, there is the absence of Harroui who had a collateral knee sprain and will be out for four to five weeks. There are five starters out, also considering Serdar, but this is an opportunity for all the other players who will take their place”.
Who do you think are the most ready to take to the field, given the absences?
“There are more players ready to take the field. I think Sarr and Livramento are competing for Harroui’s place. Livramento returned from the national team in poor condition and for this reason he didn’t take the field in Rome, but I have all my respect for him. We said that Sarr needed a month to settle in, now we are close to the ideal state even if he lacks a bit of match rhythm, but in my opinion he can apply for that place. In the middle of the field we will go with the usual ones, while we will make the other choices after today’s training”.
Will Magnani be able to find space against Torino?
“Magnani found space against Juventus and it’s not a given that he won’t find it tomorrow. I think he has the qualities to be an added value for the team, but to do so he needs to be in top psychological condition. He’s already shown me what he can do, but he’s a particular player. If he’s not at his best psychologically, it’s up to him to prove me wrong on the pitch with the right attitude. But for me he’s still the most gifted we have in defence, and this is a compliment that I pay him publicly. If he goes on the pitch tomorrow I expect a great performance from him”.
What kind of opponent will Torino be?
“It will be a difficult match for us but it must be for them too. We have our weapons and our quality, but it will be a physical match where duels will make the difference. They have top-level individuals, they are a very well-trained team that has great intensity and playing ideas, and they are a team built to aim for Europe. It will be a difficult match, but the important thing will be what we do, to show that we can be up to the task.”
There are some important absences, how ready are the younger guys like Cisse and Lambourde, even for upcoming races?
“They are mentally more ready than others, freer and bolder as talented young players must be. They have great desire and spirit, but it’s up to me to understand when to use them. In fact, there are opportunities for them to play and we’ve already seen Cisse. However, I’m interested in playing time for established players, in young players I look for the quality of the minutes they play on the pitch. Young players must aim for this, to come in heavily when they have the chance”.
Are you more angry or satisfied after the match against Lazio?
“I’m honestly angrier, I confirm what I said after the match, that is that the team gave everything and committed themselves, having the character to recover after going behind, and they stayed in the game for 90 minutes. But even though it was a good match, in my opinion it wasn’t our 100%. We played between 70% and 100%, maybe with the maximum we could have found some points. In two or three situations, in some duels, we were a bit light, as well as on the goal, and those duels must be won to find points at Lazio’s home. I got angry with the team about this, because they have already shown that they can do it, that they can give more. I get angry with them because they are strong, and it’s not enough after a defeat to say we played a good match. You have to be objective and in my analysis I think we could have done something more”.
Do you think there is a problem with corners?
“No, I don’t think there is a problem with the opposition’s corners, I get more annoyed by how we manage our corners. We have conceded many corners but only 1 goal in 4 games, so it’s not a problem, but we always have to be very careful and try to win duels given that we mark man-to-man. However, we have beaten many and badly, not convinced that we can score, and set pieces are important and change the score during the course of a championship. This is part of the not 100% I was talking about before, small details that we cannot afford to get wrong. In Rome you can also lose but I want to lose by giving everything and I told the lads this and now mentally I want 100% of what we can give”.
Could there be room for Faraoni and Ghilardi as starters?
“I always have to make choices and that doesn’t mean I don’t have the respect of those who don’t play, everyone will have their space over time. There are hierarchies and I’m ready to change them too. Faraoni came in well but Bradaric is also a good player and can find space. Let’s see if Lazovic has recovered from the last match since he is our starter on that wing. Faraoni is a candidate for a place. We are certainly covered in those roles without any kind of problem”.