Football: Zaffaroni “Lecce has enthusiasm, Verona is ready for battle”
“We need to give the match the right weight, but we mustn’t get the wrong attitude”, says the Hellas coach. VERONA (ITALPRESS) – One of those matches that can mark a turning point. Marco Zaffaroni is well aware of this and knows that in tomorrow’s match against Lecce at Bentegodi, his Verona are playing a lot, even if he is keen not to overload the wait for a match in which it will be important “not to get the attitude wrong”. In the press conference, the Hellas coach returns to the San Siro defeat against Inter, also to underline the differences that the two matches offer. “I think that from a technical point of view, the Nerazzurri are one of the strongest teams in Italy and Europe: those who play against them have difficulties especially from a physical point of view, while from an emotional point of view you know that these differences exist and so you face it with more mental lightness. Against Lecce – but also against Cremonese – it will be a match in which technical and physical aspects will equalize, therefore the mental aspect will change. For this reason it is a match in which we know we must not wrong initial attitude, putting maximum attention and concentration into it. We will have to be able to enter the field with a clear head and have the strength to think only of the match”. A team from Salento arrives in Veneto and is bursting with health. “We know that they come from six consecutive useful results and undoubtedly have the characteristic of living on the wings of the enthusiasm of the promotion they won last season. They have players who want to prove they can stay in this category, they are doing well and the latest results they are demonstrating it. It will be a very insidious match: we mustn’t make the wrong attitude”, reiterated Zaffaroni, aware that the road is still long but that, with the first round ending over the weekend, we can no longer afford false expectations. “Time is an important variable, but our focus today is to think about tomorrow’s match without letting ourselves get distracted by other thoughts. We have to be focused on tomorrow’s match knowing that there are nineteen more to go. We know it’s an important match not to be mistaken, but we give it the right weight”. If Lecce has one of its characteristics in enthusiasm, Hellas stands out for its character and aggressiveness between pressing highs and sustained rhythms. “This type of game has characterized Verona’s game in recent years and these principles must also remain in today’s game. Two teams who play matches in this way will face tomorrow. I think it will be a good duel and we will try to every way: we know it will be a battle and that we shouldn’t make a mistake in approaching the match”, explained Zaffaroni who also focused on the new arrivals. “Ngonge will do his first training today and we will evaluate it. Zeefuik and Braaf arrived this week and are reduced by a period without official games, they have played little: in these days we have started testing their condition to evaluate how ready they were. Zeefuik is a right winger, he can be used as a fifth player in midfield. Braaf works mainly on the frontline, he’s a guy who has quality in one-on-one situations. We need players who are willing to try, to spend these months in this experience, always concentrate”. Having said that Ilic and Hien will be called up for tomorrow’s match, Zaffaroni invites everyone not to get distracted by the opponents of their direct rivals. “We mustn’t let ourselves be influenced by the results of the other teams: the less we look at the standings the better, we can’t afford to waste energy like this. It won’t be easy, but from here to the end we’ll have to have a lot of mental strength and the ability to spend energy only as far as ourselves are concerned”, underlined Zaffaroni who is aiming, as regards the match against Lecce, also on the Bentegodi crowd. “It’s a fundamental aspect for us, we know how important our fans are. We have to assure them of our utmost commitment: in doing so, the Verona crowd can become our 12th man”. Last words on the infirmary: “Faraoni is respecting his recovery time and will soon start field work as planned. As for Verdi, I think that starting next week he will be back in the group with the team, while we still don’t know recovery time very well by Hrustico”. – LivePhotoSport photo – (ITALPRESS). ari/com 20-Jan-23 13:28