“We’ve worked so hard to be ready for tomorrow evening.” Andrea Sottil spoke to the point ahead of his side’s Coppa Italia clash against Catanzaro. Here’s some of the highlights from the coach’s first press conference of the season:
“Our preparation has been fantastic. There are still some things that we need to tweak but the new signings have shown great desire to learn. I’d say that we’re in a good position right now.
“The new lads are top people, they’ve brought in enthusiasm and quality. They’re young but the veterans here are showing the ropes, conveying to them the sense of belonging at the club, as well as their professionalism and dedication. The players have really gelled.
“Kicking off a new season always fires me up. Our basic aim is to better last time out. The present is what counts – not the past or the future. I’ve been working with my staff to improve my ideas and convey them to the team through quality training sessions. Every campaign is a new dawn.
“As for the most recent arrivals Joao Ferreira and Marley Ake, I like having more options at my disposal. The club are listening to my wishes. Along with Ake we’ve got four central midfielders and Ake is also capable of filling in as a winger, second striker or attacking midfielder. Such versatility means as a lot to me as coach.
“It’s great to be starting the season with everyone available. It’s going to be a long campaign. All of the squad need to contribute.
“Regarding Giovanni Fabbian, every player that we sign has got top qualities, and while he’s totally different to Lazar Samardzic I’m sure that he’ll help us out a lot.
“Isaac Success and Brenner are raring to go after spending time out. They’ll need to get proper match fit, though. I’d like all of my players to be on the same page fitness-wise by 20 August. It’s not an easy task but we’re trying to make it happen.
“Beto and Florian Thauvin are our attacking duo right now, they featured together last season and have had a good summer. They can get even better as a partnership.
“Catanzaro won their group in Serie C, which is never easy to do. They’ve got a top coach in Vincenzo Vivarini as well. They’re a well-drilled side, regardless of who plays for them. It’s going to be demanding, we’ll need to be on high alert if we’re to make the next round.
“Beyond just winning tomorrow’s game we want this to be the start of a winning mentality. Every game is a challenge but what matters is getting into a groove.
“We want to win for our amazing fans who’ve really given me and the lads a boost. It’ll be great to start the season at home and I hope that we can put in a top-class performance so that the supporters go home happy.”