Instead of the technician Michele Mignani in the press conference preceding the December 26th match against the Cremonesethe sporting director of the Romagna team presented himself in front of the microphones Fabio Arctic: “The numbers say that at home we have an attitude, probably linked to the fact that we are comfortable in our stadium, with our fans and with our curve which certainly gives us an extra emotional charge. Yesterday I heard the coach talking about ferocity, application, determination, approach to the match: it is clear that we are missing something away from home and it is something that we absolutely must fill in the next matches.
It’s clear that if we didn’t have problems, we would probably be first in the standings. We absolutely must not forget where we come from, who we are and our objectives at the start of the season which do not change, after which this does not mean that I should be happy. I am rarely satisfied, I always want to improve, and if today I have to give an account of what our journey in Serie B has been up to now, for me it is more than satisfactory, but I also know that with great humility and application we can improve .
Analyzing the matches in depth, I start from the assumption that this, due to its characteristics, is a team that prefers to play rather than be aggressive and I say this on the basis of physical, technical characteristics and identity. We have a team that is also fun in my opinion to watch it play, after which it lacks that pinch of competitive malice, that determination and that approach to the match that is needed in a Serie B championship and we must add it every day with application, determination and the work, always adding a little piece every day.
I recognize van Hooijdonk’s qualities, because what he has done in the past cannot be erased. He is a boy who has shown that he can score goals and be available to the team, he has certainly found little space, but we still have two games before the transfer window starts and six games before it ends, there is plenty of time to reflect and understand what to do. Personally, I start from a concept: I don’t like the January transfer market, because first and foremost it is a market of opportunities and not of choice. I don’t choose what I want, but I choose what is there and usually these are players who haven’t found much space; therefore, I should take a player who has played less for four or five months, then put him in a context and re-athlete him. This means three or four weeks of extra work, without knowing how he will react to the new job, the new tactical themes and the inclusion in the team. I don’t believe much in the January transfer window, but like Cesena we will be attentive to what the developments will be and if there are opportunities we will seize them, to improve what to date have been the things that can be improved.
I add a consideration, however, that I always believe a lot in the players I have at home and I really believe in them: I said it last year, I said it to the boys this summer and I repeat it now too. The players who have found less space up until now have qualities in my opinion because until three weeks ago Tavsan had remained a bit at the back, while now he has shown that he can stay there and also make a difference and the same goes for Ceesay . I’m convinced that van Hooijdonk also has characteristics that can help us, Francesconi was out for three games, he didn’t come on for a month, now he’s played two games and in my opinion yesterday he was one of the best on the pitch. We always have room for improvement in the guys that are there at the moment, then we’ll see.
The match against Cremonese will be a very difficult match, we are playing against a team that certainly has not expressed its value because it has an excellent coach who knows the category very well, has already won it several times and has in his interpreters players who they can make the difference in Serie B. It will certainly be a tough match, because they are strong and have great individuality, I saw part of the match they played yesterday and they deserved to win against Sampdoria. More than them, I think about what we will be, I believe we will have to face the match with great humility, we know that our stadium and our curve give us an extra push and we will have to be ready. I am convinced that the boys will react and we will play a content match.”