It won’t be an Easter Monday like the others, but the ingredients for having fun without lunch going sideways are (almost) all there. They will need to be handled with care and Iemmello’s absence deprives the company of the man who is generally best at barbecue, but the Catanzaro team which hosts Monza tomorrow (3pm) still has people who know how to cook meat well and perhaps “convince” the diner – anything but friendly – that at “Ceravolo” you eat as the hosts say.
Beyond comparison, the resumption of the championship reserves a very tough but not impossible challenge. «We face one of the strongest teams in the championship, very structured in all departments. For us it will be a test of growth, an important test to compete with this level”, underlines Aquilani: “We will have to take the field with great humility, knowing that attention and sacrifice will be needed at all times, but also with the awareness of our qualities to always try to play our game”.
Against better equipped teams – on paper or by points in the standings -, Catanzaro varied tactical registers without derogating from their principles. Depending on the moments of a match or the qualities of the opponent, lowering the center of gravity or playing higher, he never holed up behind to wait for a positive episode, but went looking for them. Sometimes succeeding, other times less so, still others alternating a top-level time and a sub-par time, as happened in the second in Cesena, where immediately before the break the streak of eight useful results with six victories was interrupted: «When the intensity drops, both on a physical and mental level, the risk is that of compromising the result – explains Aquilani -. This is why it is necessary to take a further step forward in this season finale.” And so the duel with Monza can provide a concrete answer: «It is a demanding test that can give awareness and strength. Catanzaro must remember their path and their value, also finding confidence in the fact of playing at home, with the support of the fans.”
The Giallorossi supporters were one of the factors in favor of a streak of eleven home outings without defeat: the “Ceravolo” so far have been more incisive than the previous two seasons and this is a fact that should not be underestimated. Nor should the fact be underestimated that Iemmello will be a forced spectator tomorrow, having to serve a one-day ban: «He is an important player on and off the pitch, a leader of the locker room», reiterates the coach, however «confident in the alternatives available and convinced that the group will be able to respond with a level performance, even with different characteristics».
The Italian enthusiasm that they brought with them from the national teams, especially the Liberals (under 19) and Favasuli (under 21) will also help: «The international experience is a source of pride and growth. The players called up came back motivated and ready to make an important contribution in terms of energy and concentration”, Aquilani clarified. Yes, there is certainly no shortage of resources to transform Easter Monday into a memorable day.
