Fiordilino: "In Palermo we will have to be aggressive to every ball"

Ahead of Venezia’s match away to Palermo this weekend in Giornata 14 of the 2022/23 Serie B season, veteran midfielder Antonio Luca Fiordilino — born in Palermo, and a product of the Rosanero youth sector — analyzed the upcoming match and the time spent with new manager Paolo Vanoli during the international break.

“The week off was important to recharge physically and mentally. We worked a lot with the manager to progress and to put his game concepts into practice. We worked a lot physically, both in the gym and in match settings: we worked on attacking spaces and playing with the ball on the ground.

We have to improve our understanding of game moments and our ability to manage these phases. In the first half we’ve been good, but we can't think of pushing 100 percent for 90 minutes. Our energies must be managed, looking for the right alternation between ball possession and forcing the play.

We have to bring home as many points as possible starting from this game, we can't wait any longer. It is useless to hide: morale is not and cannot be very high, but there is a great desire for redemption, we must start with thinking about salvation, as the manager also underlined. We also need more personality, more desire to attack the opponent.

I am excited about returning to (Stadio Renzo) Barbera. I grew up in the youth sector of Palermo and I owe my beginnings as a professional footballer to the club. The leap from Serie C to Serie B is always a challenge, but Palermo are a great team, and you can't let your guard down. Like us, they need points, which is why we will have to be aggressive to every ball.”