Interview with Gianni De Biasi: “Vlasic top, Torino believes in it”

Eight games to win and to observe, to consolidate and to experiment, to start building Torino’s future. In September 2005, Gianni De Biasi became the first coach in the management of president Urbano Cairo. He remains very close to the Granata environment, follows the club’s events carefully and is therefore the right person to read the moment of the team, which since 23 February, under the guidance of Roberto D’Aversa, seems to have found a different approach. “The results have certainly changed significantly. Now we need to make an evaluation of the group. The issue is understanding its value, whether it can do more or whether what has been achieved in the last month is in line with its potential.”

What idea did you have?

“I saw Torino live only once, in Verona, and I must say that despite the victory they didn’t impress me. I seemed to see a potential that wasn’t fully exploited. Obviously, this doesn’t mean that Marco Baroni was the demerit, I certainly don’t want to throw the cross on him. In the last four games I’ve seen some good performances. Two victories came against Lazio and Parma, then it’s ‘normal’ that you can lose when you play against Napoli and against Milan.”

The strikers began to score continuously: in four matches, three goals from Simeone and two from Zapata.

“Basically I believe that forwards, like most footballers, have more or less positive peaks and also experience moments in which things don’t go well even if they have many opportunities in front of goal. However, it seems to me that the team believes a little more in what it is looking for, in what the coach is asking for.”

If there is a common thread that ties the Granata season together it is the one that leads to the performances of Nikola Vlasic.

“Each time I saw him play at a higher level. Just as at the beginning of last season Duvan Zapata was the architect of that sprint start, before his injury made itself felt, in the same way Nikola this year has demonstrated that he is a quality footballer, important in the Toro’s game economy.”

In midfield we went from a three-man structure to a two-man midfield, with Gineitis fixed and Prati and Ilkhan alternating as point guards. How do you read this choice?

“Basically there is an attempt by D’Aversa to find an even more offensive position for Vlasic, to make him play behind the strikers. Gineitis is playing a very good championship, with his physicality he gives a good hand in the middle of the pitch. The fundamental thing, however, is to find a way to make the most of the two strikers who alternate up front, whether they are Simeone and Zapata or whether Adams finds space instead.”

Would you see Casadei deployed as an attacking midfielder?

“I don’t know if he has found his precise place on the pitch, if he is able to show his qualities. From the outside it is difficult to understand how he doesn’t play. Evidently there are reasons.”

And then there is the issue of the defence, which concedes many goals but which has also obtained ten clean sheets in this championship, on average one every three games.

“This paradox of the many matches without conceding a goal is strange, it is probably explained by the fact that the team, when it is losing, would have a tendency to abandon its anchors and get lost in the middle of the sea. It is a more psychological than physical issue.”

How can these last eight championship games be exploited?

“I would try to score as many points as possible, also to understand what the team is made of. I would make evaluations on the individuals to understand who we can count on for next season. This is the opportunity that D’Aversa has in his hands at the moment: he can get to know the locker room, get an idea of ​​the various situations. This will help him for any future planning.”

Have you ever had a mandate for a few months? What are the advantages and what are the disadvantages?

“It happened to me that I went away and came back, but I didn’t get called up for such a short period. It’s not very easy, because first of all you have to get into the heads of the players, find the right way to be appreciated and follow your way of understanding football, hoping that the results are favorable. You try to work a bit on everything, head and legs, and understand which are the best situations that you can exploit to achieve the objectives. Drawing a line, however, is also an advantage, you say ‘from now on let’s do it this way’ and it’s a good way to approach the team: putting aside what has been, focusing only on what will be done.”