Ahead of Venezia’s home match against Genoa, head coach Eusebio Di Francesco addressed various topics in his pre-match press conference. When asked about Daniele De Rossi’s dismissal from Roma, Di Francesco kept his response brief: “If I want to dedicate a thought to him? I’ll call him and say what I need to say to him directly. I don’t want to say things just for the sake of it.”
Di Francesco provided an update on the team’s injury situation: “Regarding the injured players, Altare, Bjarkason, and Duncan, who had a minor muscle problem, will definitely be out. We’ll evaluate Sverko today. I’ve gotten to know Yeboah better. We’re a bit short-staffed in some areas of the field.”
When asked about potential midfield options due to the absence of Nicolussi and Duncan, Di Francesco mentioned, “Busio is one of the options, as is Doumbia. We’re trying to develop young players like him. We want everything immediately, and I’m the first to admit it, but that’s misleading. I have several options in midfield, and I try to keep everyone alert and ready. It’s not only important who starts but also crucial who comes off the bench.”
Regarding Yeboah’s condition, the coach stated, “We need creativity, and the first two players that come to mind in that sense are him and Oristanio. Yeboah has been training well and consistently. He had trained very little previously and then went to the national team, so it’s normal for him to be a bit tired. In the national team, you either play or train little, I assure you: the coaches don’t have the interest to get you in shape for your club. He can play from the start or come on during the match.”
When asked about Pohjanpalo’s progress, Di Francesco joked, “He’s done the same thing with us (laughs). He also had a small injury, then went to the national team. He’s our leader and captain. He’ll need to be good at being a driving force for everyone. He’s one of those experienced players I was talking about.”
