Cremonese, Ballardini: “It’s not important what others do, but what we do”

The coach spoke at the press conference on the eve of the match against Juventus

Cremonese is a guest tomorrow at 20.45 of Juventus, who is back from the draw with Sevilla in the semi-final first leg of the Europa League. After the victory against Spezia, the coach Davide Ballardini presents the match in the press conference on the eve of this: “I’m more focused on the performance that the Cremonese will have to do, attention, intensity and covering the pitch well will be needed. We’ll have to help each other a lot, let’s play against a very motivated team and what’s more, they have a very high quality squad, it will be essential to occupy the pitch well, be aggressive, have personality with the ball. Quality, leg and grit will be needed. If in terms of attitude it will be a match similar to the one against AC Milan? Sernicola full-back option? Given the characteristics of the two teams, I expect a very different match, they have a different style of play. Sernicola full-back is a stretch, it’s clear that it’s not his role, but he has a great leg resistance, he’s someone who never saves money and a nice foot, so that’s an adaptation that in certain situations to have more balance and compactness can fit in. How did the boys experience the week after Verona’s victory over Lecce? For me it’s not what others do that matters, but what we do. Since we arrived we’ve been good, serious and competitive, so we have an obligation to always be like this because it’s right. Of course, maybe there are results that can help more or less, but first of all we have to think about doing our part well. What if it’s more the regrets for the classification compromised by the results of the first leg or the satisfaction with the current performance? It is clear that we always talk from the moment we arrive, but we are very relaxed and satisfied. We have arrived in an environment that we did not know, and it is a healthy environment, it is the strength of this environment. The people who work in the company are good people, the facilities are very good, the team is well educated. The fans have always been close to the team. We are certainly very satisfied with the work that has been done. We are serene but we are also very ambitious.”

“Do Juventus sometimes give space? We had a few empty passes against Udinese – continues the grey-red coach -, but it’s a team that isn’t like Juventus in terms of legs, strength and physicality, but it’s very strong. Definitely Juventus resemble Inter, they are a team that owns the pitch, with great personalities and great players who occasionally allow themselves not to be so intense because they are so strong that maybe they are not so present in the match.They remain extraordinarily strong and competitive , so much so that they are second in the standings. What can Cremonese do in a match in which technique will count a lot? We will have to have many players in the ball zone, especially in the middle of the pitch, we will need to stay short, narrow down the spaces and be good to absorb the insertions because the Juventus half-wings are good at attacking the goal.We will also have to pay attention to the forwards, who are good both at coming forward and attacking deep. Play the game if you always manage to be very compact. Do I have any anecdotes to tell about Allegri (the coach Ballardini has most faced in his career, editor’s note)? We met and greeted him often cordially, but I don’t know him much. Clearly he has had an extraordinary career, you could see from the beginning that he was very capable and he has shown it throughout his career, but unfortunately I have no anecdotes to tell.

“What are the conditions of the team? The feeling we have is that the team is fine – explains Ballardini -, although we were a bit tired against Spezia because it was the fourth game in nine days, but the team seems to me to be fine. As for Dessers and Tsadjout, I’m afraid that for the first the season is compromised, while Tsadjout could start training with the team next week, he still feels a little discomfort but the sensations are quite good. Wherever we’ve been, the strikers have always scored a lot of goals, they’ve almost always scored in double figures. I’m thinking of Cavani, Matri, Acquafresca, Palacio, Floro Flores, Borriello… They’ve always scored a lot of goals. And it’s true. also that the penalty area must be occupied with wingers, midfielders and defenders. Vasquez, for example, is a player who has time, has had other opportunities to score goals and has come close, the characteristics of the attackers must be exploited but it is equally true that even midfielders can fit in. How much better do I see Cremonese in finding each other during the match? For me this is a team in which many guys from outside have arrived who must have known each other, for me they are starting to speak a common language. Galdames knows that Okereke makes a movement and therefore gives him the ball where he wants it even without looking at him, or Valeri opens up to try one-on-one, Ciofani is given the ball in another way… As we go on the confidence between teammates increases and it is easier to play”.