“After some time, everyone finally looks at us, if not with fear, then at least with respect. And they think that we can be a serious contender in the title race.” He assures it Federico Coppitelliwho is surprising in the Croatian championship by being in the top 5 with his Osijek. Moreover, after having slowed down the unstoppable run of Gattuso and his leaders Hajduk (2-2), with the streak of 6 consecutive useful results under everyone’s eyes.
Today, however, at the Ivan Kušek Apaš stadium in Koprivnica, there will be NK Slaven Belupo. The coach on the match Coppitelli presented the challenge in this way: “We know that Slaven Belupo is a team that, I would say, is above average in the HNL. Furthermore, we know that they have won three of their last four games, and that they have not lost since October 20, when they played against Slaven Belupo ‘Hajduk. Dinamo were beaten in Koprivnica, Rijeka drew, so it will be a difficult match for us too. Belupo is a really good team with many quality attackers and good players in general. So we know it will be complicated. But we also know ourselves. Knowing our value, it is important to enter the field with the right attitude”, he declared in the press conference.
Without settling, to end the year on a high note. Riding the wave of enthusiasm: “It will be a good match for us and we must exploit our confidence, that boost of self-esteem that we have after the match against Hajduk. We must start with clear ambition – highlighted the 40-year-old Roman -, and it is crucial. The next four matches they will define how we will close the first round. Now we are in a good moment and therefore we must not focus too much on the opponents in those matches. This can be read in various ways, but for us only our attributes are important to be perfect.”
In fact, however, the sensations are more than positive given the current period: “What supports our optimism is a series of previous matches in which Osijek showed that they know their place in Croatian football. To tell the truth, I am optimistic because we talked a lot about everything that accompanied us at the beginning of the season. Now I don’t want to dwell on this anymore, because for me the harmony that we have, that our players have, after the fifth game is incredible.”
Closing with an overall analysis: Long term, I think this can be a very good season for us. With these players we can find the right path with a lot of satisfaction for the fans too. We know how to respond on the pitch when a difficult challenge awaits us, we must demonstrate that we know how to win matches, that we play well and that we have quality. We have had great moments so far, but if we want to win consistently in this challenging championship, which I now know for sure, we have to deliver complete performances. I think it’s time to prove it.”