After a season lived between pressure and great expectations, Michele Emmausso talks about himself with an open heart, retracing the months spent wearing the rossoblù shirt. Arriving during the current season from Audace Cerignola, the Cosenza striker has managed to carve out an important space for himself thanks to good performances, a spirit of sacrifice and heavy goals which have contributed to the team’s progress. Despite the regret for a finale that could have given even greater satisfaction, Emmausso prefers to look at the positive aspects of a championship fought until the end against renowned teams built specifically to win. The attacker speaks without filters about his emotions, the weight of that mistake in the playoffs against Casarano and the strong bond created in just a few months with the Cosenza environment. Between self-criticism and the desire for revenge, Emmausso looks ahead with the desire to continue giving everything for the rossoblù shirt.
– Did the season just ended, with its ups and downs, leave a bitter taste?
«Definitely yes, because when you get to play such important matches you always hope to be able to bring joy to the fans and the Club. However, it was a very demanding year and lived at a high level, in a difficult championship in which equipped teams like Catania and Salernitana played. Having arrived so close to certain realities means that the work done during the year was important. We are especially sorry for how the playoff journey ended, because we had great enthusiasm and wanted to continue our journey. But football also teaches you this: you have to know how to accept disappointments, get up and start again with even more desire.”
– From a strictly personal point of view, however, how do you analyze the season that has just ended?
«It was certainly a positive season for me. When I arrived in Cosenza I tried from day one to make myself completely available to the coach, the staff and my teammates. I tried to help the team, both on and off the pitch. Obviously I’m also happy with the numbers, because being able to score six goals from January onwards wasn’t easy, especially joining an already formed group. If we also consider the five goals scored against Cerignola, reaching double figures for the third consecutive year is something that makes me proud. Behind these results there is a lot of daily work, many sacrifices and the constant desire to improve.”
– Do you still feel the weight of that fateful missed goal against Casarano?
«I’ll tell you the truth, it’s an episode that comes to mind every now and then because at that moment I could have done better. Maybe I could have kicked differently, or served a better positioned teammate. When an attacker experiences certain situations it is normal to think about it, especially because in matches like this every detail can make the difference. But we also shouldn’t let ourselves be influenced too much by mistakes. Football is also made up of these moments and I believe that it is precisely the disappointments that make us grow, both as players and as men.”
– Speaking of the future… Will it still be red and blue?
«I still have one year left on my contract and honestly I had a good time in Cosenza from all points of view. I found an important environment and people who immediately made me feel at home.”
