Humility and unity. We need the usual Catanzaro, the one with the provincial spirit and a compact fanbase to push him, as if he were one with the team. Sports director Ciro Polito’s call for cohesion is similar to previous years: even with Caserta and Aquilani on the bench the start was slow. Now even more so, considering the zero points in three matches which bring us back to the most suitable dimension for a club that must think first about staying in Serie B, then about everything else and, above all, must forget the final in Monza: «Today is year zero, we cannot live on memories», the sporting director cut short.
The Eagles’ championship begins on Saturday at the “Ceravolo”: «Three away games in a row with so many new players is not easy. Returning home after a month and still not having the stadium means that there have been mistakes, even on the part of those who made promises. However, I’m not looking for excuses, we have to work without talking”, said the sporting director in his classic point on the end-of-summer transfer market.
«It was the most difficult year in which to operate, expenses increased in Serie B, Avellino says a lot about James Rodriguez: we can’t afford things like that. I received many rejections and broke relationships with several agents, but I am satisfied with what I did.”
Thirty players, of which 15 are new plus two returning from loans: «I’m used to having large squads, but out of 30, three come from D and one is a 2008 player from the Monza Primavera: if we can’t manage certain situations it’s better to change jobs».
Catanzaro lost five starters from last season, but «for every important outing I always took an important alternative. Pittarello replaced with Pecorino, Pontisso with Mosti, Ruggero in defense, Liberali with Pafundi, people arrived with hunger and desire for revenge. Brighenti? Someone like him is irreplaceable everywhere, but there was a familiar issue so we had to adapt.” In any case, footballers «don’t always “do” the seasons alone, many times the environment counts and if we stay united we will certainly come out of it».
One regret (“Galazzi from Monza was treated for a month, in the end he preferred Padova and I was disappointed”), some disappointments (“Maybe only about Pontisso I can’t say anything among those who left, we made serious offers to everyone, even Pittarello, but people can’t be kept tied up with chains”)) in three months lived with the usual way of being: “I left again like a kamikaze and took risks, but I’m satisfied and the field will say whether or not the new ones are up to the level of those who were there. Possible surprises? Tchaouna, Reita and Cassa, but the results must help”, continued the sporting director: “Antonini? Never questioned, there was a monstrous offer that couldn’t be refused if it hadn’t disappeared and that’s why I started looking for someone else. However, he never said a word and his past work was rewarded with an adjustment.”
Who knows where he will see the match against Carrarese, whether in the sky box like in the Cup or on the bench like in Pisa and Bolzano: «I also like being close to the staff, except that you can’t see anything from there so I think I’ll go back upstairs». With the hope and obligation (obviously) to break free and win: «But without too much enthusiasm».
