Bologna manager Vincenzo Italiano addressed the media ahead of his team’s upcoming match against Lecce, emphasizing the importance of building on their recent victory and maintaining a positive attitude.
Reflecting on the team’s performance in Cagliari, Italiano stated, “We must try to obtain continuity after a performance like the one in Cagliari, to which we must try to give value. Attention and quality were important characteristics for this victory, and I would like to see them again tomorrow, going on the field with the same eyes as in Cagliari.”
When asked about the team’s performance at home, Italiano acknowledged, “Thinking back to the home games – apart from Parma – we have always produced a lot and risked little. Sometimes it’s also a matter of a bit of good luck… Tomorrow we must try to improve further, with great patience, without the frenzy of having to win.”
Regarding player selection and fitness, Italiano commented, “With three days to prepare for matches, there’s time to recover energy. At the moment we are doing well, and I’m happy with how the guys work to recover. I believe that currently we can perform at a high level.”
On the importance of experienced players like De Silvestri, Italiano noted, “He now has a great attachment to the shirt. I like it when there’s this spirit: even when he came off, he tried to help the coach and his teammates. It’s nice to see guys like him who care so much about recovering points that unfortunately in the past few games we’ve left behind.”
Looking ahead to the Lecce match, Italiano warned, “Lecce is a team that always knows how to stay afloat, that always finds the strength to react and has very fast players. We have to be very careful also because we are one of the teams that makes the most mistakes in the opponent’s half of the field, and these are errors we cannot afford.”
On the possibility of rotating players, Italiano said, “I don’t know, because I’m trying to find a way to involve both [Castro and Dallinga] with ample playing time and I would like them to find continuity in front of goal. Obviously, the choices depend a lot on the opponent as well. That said, I think it’s important to give continuity to previous performances, and tomorrow we would like to largely confirm the formation from Cagliari.”
Italiano concluded by addressing the team’s relationship with the fans: “What I perceive is that the enthusiasm is still there. Tomorrow there will be more than 25,000 people, and this shows us that people are always ready to give us a big push. That said, it’s also up to us to fuel the enthusiasm with results.”
