With the away trip to Bolzano now behind them, the midweek fixture is approaching for Venezia FC, who tomorrow will host Avellino at the Stadio Penzo. Coach Stroppa previews the match and takes stock of his team’s current form.

Giovanni Stroppa, head coach of Venezia FC:
“I’m satisfied with the performance in Bolzano. Of course, we could have lost it in the very last second, but it’s also true that we won almost all the duels and could have made more of a few chances.

Physically, the team still has energy; we’re back on the pitch after two days. Today we’ll assess the players’ physical condition in training, and tomorrow we’ll field those who are the most ready. We have to focus on ourselves, delivering positive performances and trying to collect as many points as possible. More than ever, mentality makes the difference right now—we need the right mindset to face the upcoming crucial matches.

The goalkeeper’s role has evolved; the aim now is to make him as complete as possible. I believe Filip fully embodies the characteristics of the modern goalkeeper. If I think back to his game on Saturday, he was hardly called into action until the 90th minute, and then he saved the result. For a team like ours that concedes little, always being ready is a very positive trait.

Ballardini’s arrival in Avellino has certainly changed something. I have great respect for our opponent, but I must focus on my own team. Compared to the first meeting, it will be a different match.

Like us, there are other teams in the league that are performing strongly. At this moment, beyond athletic aspects, the difference lies in mentality. We must not give up. We’ve made an extraordinary comeback, we’re now fully in the fight, and we want to keep up the pace. At this stage, every team can cause you problems—you need to be balanced and good enough to stay in these positions in the table. What we’re doing now is fantastic, but what we achieve on May 9 will be decisive.

Our comeback has been built on outstanding performances. Considering our displays so far, I can only be satisfied. In the duels on Saturday in Bolzano we did very well; in the previous match against Pescara, from an attacking standpoint, it was perhaps our best performance of the year. All our matches have been convincing in terms of style of play.”