Venezia head coach Eusebio Di Francesco addressed the media in a pre-match conference ahead of the highly anticipated derby against Hellas Verona. The manager touched on various aspects of his team’s preparation and strategy for the upcoming fixture.
Di Francesco began by discussing tactical flexibility, particularly regarding defensive formations. He stated, “I believe that when playing with a three-man defense, sometimes you need a central defender with different characteristics from the classic center-back. I will evaluate what’s best for each match, but it’s an approach I like.”
When asked about the mental aspect of the derby and its importance, Di Francesco emphasized the significance of attitude and game management. “Attitude is the foundation of everything, staying engaged throughout all moments of the game,” he said. “I always stress this – we need to understand and manage different phases of the match. It’s where we’ve fallen short in many games, and we’re working hard on it. We must be better at reading certain situations.”
Addressing concerns about set-pieces, where Venezia has conceded costly goals in recent matches against Milan, Torino, and Roma, Di Francesco explained his approach: “In set-pieces, there are advantages and disadvantages to every situation. Whether it’s man-marking, zonal marking, or a mixed system, we’ve tried a couple of approaches with both positive and negative responses. But it shouldn’t become an aspect that leads us to react poorly in certain situations. We must overcome this through work and dialogue with the players to understand what makes them most comfortable in marking.”
Regarding potential lineup changes due to the short recovery time since their last match, Di Francesco assured that there had been sufficient time to recuperate. “Five days allow for recovery, so the choices will be linked to the type of game we’re going to face,” he explained.
