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

Before him, General Director Pantaleo Corvino spoke, expressing his enthusiasm for the upcoming season.

Corvino:
“It’s a deliberate choice, Di Francesco has everything to succeed here with us. He has enthusiasm, motivation, and the desire to do well. He’s a great professional, eager for redemption. We will support him and his staff to give their best. They will also help us to achieve our best. If we are not a family, it’s difficult to walk this path together. There is harmony among us to follow this path together. We need to go beyond history. We made history by participating in Serie A for the fourth consecutive year. We want to continue this fairy tale we are living. We have ambition, but to bring everyone to a healthy realism and appear less ambitious is an effort we make to be realistic. We know that this year it will be even more difficult to go beyond history. Since we are here, with this new cycle, we always start last. This year, we will start with even more difficulties, survival will be even harder considering the strength of those who have been promoted from Serie B. But we are not afraid to be David facing Goliath.”

Word to Di Francesco:
“I thank the director, the president, and the club for this opportunity. I have come here with my new staff, including Del Rosso, Pinzi, and the trainer Neri. I miss something though. My thoughts go to Graziano Fiorita, a true friend. We, with my staff, the club, and the fans, will fight to achieve survival with him guiding us from above. I wanted to thank my former assistant coach Pierluigi Iervese.”

What kind of Lecce can we expect?
“Unlike last year, where I had to adapt to the players’ characteristics, I will return to the 4-3-3. We will start from this system of play.”

What have the last two seasons taught you?
In the first year, we deserved a better fate. Last year, we did an excellent job. If I think back to Venezia-Lecce… if we had bet at halftime, 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 characteristics of the players make more of a difference than the system of play. We have full-backs like Veiga, Gallo, very predisposed to the offensive phase. So, we try to put pairs in the team that have different characteristics from each other.”

Is there any player who 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 outstanding lately. In the first year, he replaced my son and showed his value. We also need to work on the mental aspect so that players find confidence. The wingers must have the mentality of one-on-one. The European teams show that those who dominate have the ability to have players who beat their opponents.”

Your ideas?
“There is not only 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 here to Lecce what I feel.”

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 returning. I told Massimo Neri about the call from Lecce, and he told me to go immediately.”

Will you be a tough sergeant?
“There is a difference between the locker rooms of 15 years ago and the current ones. I know what I want from my players, I know when the carrot is needed and when the stick. We need dialogue, sharing.”

Will Lecce be chameleonic?
“Yes, we have a system of play, but you can build in one way or defend in another based on the opponent. Building from the back is a topic that bothers me. Everyone interprets it as they wish. Starting from the back based on how they come to press you doesn’t help you stay there, it helps you score. The goal is not to show that we can juggle, it’s to seek the goal.”

Lecce is a hot spot with a lot of pressure
“As an opponent, coming to play here is not easy, due to the fans, the attachment, the number of season ticket holders. We need to get the fans on our side with the right attitude. We will work on scoring to improve the team. In Venezia, many times I created a lot, regardless of the shots on goal. Zeman called the desperation shots those from 40 meters, which for me are not shots.”

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