Views: 29

Eusebio Di Francesco spoke at a press conference during his presentation as the new coach of Lecce. Here are his words.

Before him, General Manager Pantaleo Corvino spoke, who had the final word on the choice and expressed great enthusiasm for the upcoming season.

Lecce, words from Corvino and Di Francesco

Corvino:

“It’s a deliberate choice, Di Francesco has everything to do well with us, he has enthusiasm, motivation, and the desire to succeed. He is a great professional, eager to redeem himself. We will help him and his entire staff to give their best. They will also try to help us to give our best. If we are not a family, it is difficult to walk the path together. There is harmony among us to walk this path together. We must go beyond history. We made history by participating in Serie A for the fourth year in a row. We want to continue this fairy tale we are living. Ambition is not lacking, but bringing everyone to a healthy realism and appearing less ambitious is an effort we make to always be realistic. We know that this year it will be even more difficult to go beyond history. Since we have been here, with this new cycle, we always start last. This year we will start with even more difficulties, survival will be even more difficult considering the strengths of those who have been promoted from Serie B. But we are not intimidated by being David in front of Goliath”.

Di Francesco’s turn
“I thank the director, the president, and the club for this opportunity. I came here with my new staff, including Del Rosso, Pinzi, and the trainer Neri. However, something is missing. My thoughts go to Graziano Fiorita, a true friend. We, with my staff, with the club, and the fans, will fight to achieve survival with him guiding us from above. I want to thank my former assistant coach Pierluigi Iervese”.

What spirit are you bringing back to Lecce?
“When I first arrived, there was a club that was dismantling, there was a strange atmosphere, I was a bit inexperienced, we had incredible performance fluctuations. There were highs and lows during that period. I am here because I am convinced that this is the right time and the right place to contribute to achieving the final goal”.

The embrace between Antonio Conte and Eusebio Di Francesco (Photo by Salvatore Fornelli)

What kind of Lecce can we expect?

“Unlike last year, where I had to adapt to the players’ characteristics, I will go back to the 4-3-3. We will start from this playing system”.

What have the last two seasons taught you?

“In the first season, we deserved a better fate. Last year, we did a great job. If I think back to Venezia-Lecce… if we had bet on the first half, no one would have thought of a Lecce victory. But football is made up of many aspects”.

What did you ask for in the transfer market?

“Today, the players’ characteristics make more of a difference than the playing system. We have full-backs like Veiga, Gallo, very predisposed to the offensive phase. So we try to put pairs in the team who have different characteristics from each other”.

Any player that intrigued you as an opponent?

“Krstovic has shown to be an excellent forward. But in Lecce, there are interesting players. I think of Banda, who has not been brilliant lately. In the first year, he came on in my son’s place and showed his value. We also need to work on the mental aspect so that the players find confidence. Wingers must have the mindset of one-on-one. European teams demonstrate this, those who dominate have the ability to have players who beat their opponents”.

Nikola Krstović looks ahead (Photo by Salvatore Fornelli)

Your ideas?

“It’s not just about attacking, you must know how to defend and attack in the same way with the same intensity. How boring would it be if all coaches thought the same way? It’s right to bring what I feel to Lecce”.

Did you reflect before making the decision to return?

“As a vacationer, I often came back to Lecce, I left many friends and good memories. I didn’t think for a moment about coming back. I told Massimo Neri about Lecce’s call and he told me to go immediately”.

Will you be a tough sergeant?

“There is a difference between the dressing rooms of 15 years ago and the current ones. I know what I want from my boys, I know when the carrot is needed and when the stick. We need dialogue, sharing”.

Will Lecce be chameleon-like?

“Yes, we have a playing system but we can build it in one way or defend in another based on the opponent. Building from the back is a topic that annoys me. Everyone interprets it as they wish. Starting from the back based on how they come to press you is not about staying there, it’s about scoring goals. The goal is not to show off ball possession, it’s about seeking the goal”.

Lecce is a hot spot with a lot of pressure

“As an opponent, I say that coming to play here is not easy, due to the fans, the attachment, the number of season ticket holders. We must bring the fans to our side with our attitude. We will work on goals to improve the team. In Venezia, I often created a lot, regardless of the shots on goal. Zeman called shots from 40 meters desperation shots, which for me are not shots”.