Collecchio, 15 September 2024 - The main points from Head Coach Fabio Pecchia, during the press conference ahead of the fourth league match against Udinese, carried out in the press room of Mutti Training Center in Collecchio.

THE GAME AGAINST UDINESE

The international break and the postponement of the match have made the wait even longer. We have had a few extra days to welcome some of the boys back

from international duty, and in this case, they have come back in good condition. There’s a desire to get back to playing, to be on the pitch, feeling the adrenaline and tension of the match. After the match against Napoli, with a few players, there was a sense of disappointment and the feeling that we had put in a good performance. We had a few days extra because, with some games last year, we were even playing on Fridays. The match is on Monday and in comparison to the situation we faced a year ago, we’ve got more days to work with now. What sort of game do I expect? When we talk about Udinese, we’re talking about a club that’s been in Serie A for 30 years, that has always done great things, with a style and clear idea about how they want to play football. They’re a team that, compared to say Milan and Napoli, has experienced different things in the past seasons. This year, they’ve started very well, maybe you could call them the queen of the league start, and despite having a formation very similar to that of Fiorentina and Napoli, they have a very aggressive attitude, with a coach that, in a short space of time has made a strong impression on his team. Their physicality and structure are great but our style of play and ball playing can’t change too much, we also need to adapt to whoever we face. Udinese have two great wingers and two centre midfielders of a high quality. Our two midfielders will have to work hard, but the back four will need to be brave to drop in very quickly.

CLEAR OBJECTIVE AND DESIRE TO PLAY

A clash between surprise teams? I don’t know, the match concerns one team that’s playing well, Udinese, and another that, other than the defeat to Napoli, has otherwise been playing quite well. We want to play this match in the way that we know how and the way we want to do, three points are up for grabs and we are going to play to win, our attitude must not change. This is the same attitude that we brought to Napoli. We play according to our principles and on Monday we will find ourselves against a team that will want to take the game to us and be on top of us, something which we will try to do ourselves. It’s a match that will probably open up a lot, as it has done in previous matches. What does it mean to be the surprise of the league? Our objective must be clear, our path is set and so is our final objective. We want to try to be ourselves, playing a good brand of football which is fun, fast, vertical and dynamic, trying to pass on enthusiasm. If people have fun, then that’s even better. In Napoli, the opposing fans enjoyed it more than us. The thing that counts is winning games but that’s the way it goes. We want to play the brand of football that we have expressed in these matches. How long will we be able to do this? We will see.

RESPECT FOR THE LEADERSHIP OF THE GROUP

The role of the goalkeeper, two starters? I don’t find anything strange about talking about two starters. I came across an opening and it's an absolutely valid situation because in football, sometimes it goes this direction, of one group and one squad. It's about managing 24 or 25 men and the role of a starter belongs to the group, the collective and not the individuals. The centre midfield? It’s always advantageous to have different solutions because I speak about characteristics and also the type of match to play. With the arrival of Keita we have another footballer with characteristics which are a bit different compared to what we already have in the group. For me, also the team’s ability to be able to change as we go along is an added value. When I am thinking of the starting formations, I like to remind myself that we are in this situation in case the match forces me to make changes or even simple rotations. Who will play on Monday? I’d be inclined to say Coulibaly +10. Also, Chichizola +10. We have a Club, society and multiethnic players. If we want to go out and find this sense of Italian-ness, well maybe we don’t have to go too far, perhaps we have it right here. In terms of discussions around experience, our stance is very clear and we are trying to achieve results in this way.

KEITA, ALMQVIST AND CANCELLIERI

Mandela Keita? What I can say about Keita is that his condition is very good, he came to us fit and ready off the back of a pre-season and is a very smart guy, he’s able to get involved quickly in the group. His character will aid this and help him a lot. He is definitely in good shape. As far as the others are concerned, some situations have changed. Osorio, for example, is in a different situation compared to Man and Mihaila, Circati arrived a few days earlier compared to the rest. The first days back are always a bit weird for the guys because the matches they’ve played have been demanding: we always need to evaluate and pay a lot of attention because you can start a match in one way but then end it in a different way. Chichizola? Leo works hard all the time. There’s not much else to add and to underline, I always point to the importance of the group, of the collective, and sometimes it's not about the number of minutes played, but the quality. Almqvist and Cancellieri? For me, these two have more than enough quality to take on more roles, it all depends on the match. They can play on the right, on the left and Cancellieri also does quite well through the middle. They can and have the desire to be put on either side.

WILAN CYPRIEN

The exclusion of Cyprien from the squad? Look, Willy was a brilliant resource for us last season, we can only thank him for that. His position now is a result of Club dynamics.