Collecchio, 6 October 2023 - The comments of Crociati coach Fabio Pecchia during the press conference at the Mutti Training Centre ahead of the match against Venezia.
VENEZIA STRONG IN THE BOX
“The first thing to be said about the game in Venice is the profound sadness I feel for the accident that took place because what happened was incredibly grave. The Club has expressed its condolences to the victims and their families. We will, however, approach the match with the technical elements in mind. It will be a game of rhythm because Venezia keeps a high pace and shows their strength in the box with their forwards. And we must be good at matching their rhythm and keeping in control of the game, with more possession than what we had in Cremona. In terms of atmosphere, it will be feisty and ready to go, which will push us. From a tactical point of view, we are more a 4-4-2 than last season, we develop play down the wings. With two players up front, it will depend on what Vanoli does: whether he uses two forwards or Johnsen behind Pohjanpalo. They certainly have the quality to attack the area with strength, and they try to progress the play, but they have strong players like Gytkjaer who has shown force, power and presence since he came in.
OUR START TO THE SEASON
“I look at how last season ended, I always prefer to take a step back. To how it could have been in summer. Our campaign starts in May, now it is too relative. It is very important. But, I said it last year, every team wants to win against Parma because of the history, the Club, the honour. And now that we are where we are in the table, even if it’s a small detail, everyone wants to beat Parma even more. And we must keep up this standard. Estévez? He won’t be with us, he will be there in a few days. He won’t be there for the game”.
SIMON SOHM
“There is no player who is indispensable, only the soul and team spirit are indispensable. Simon has the quality that he has always had, the skill of his final ball. Then the work, awareness, and realisation of the potential that he is starting to show. Many times in the 4-2-3-1 he is closer to a striker, but in the National team and before now, he has played as a midfielder, able to attack the spaces and restart quickly. This allows him to cover the field and get in on action with strength and skill. If each player continues to grow, I believe that Parma will be better. Speaking of him now is reductive. I liked him a lot at the end of last year, he really showed himself at a time when I gave him a lot of competition, re-subsituted him and didn’t call him into the squad, and he responded. And when he responds on the pitch, you see it. He is capable of playing behind the striker or an inside forward and this gives us the chance to shift around in games. We changed the structure against Cremona but he played just as well”.
THE GOAL CONCEDED TO CREMONA
“We need to behave differently, I am sorry because the boys were convinced it wasn’t a foul. However, it was a shot that tricked Leo, but we need to behave differently. Laying down behind the wall? We’ve never done that, aside from that, we can jump and maintain a certain solidity”.
EUROPEAN FOOTBALL
“It was nice to watch the Champions League, I watched Union Berlin vs. Braga, it was high level of skill, rhythm and technique. And this will help us to have a different perspective. Because in our league, Serie B, it is completely different to others. Finding new ideas with the midweek European matches, also creates food for thought with the kids, the young people, in terms of comparison, which can be a source of inspiration for my lads.'
