Aspire in the World Fellows Book - 2023

/79 STAR CHAT Between80and90%of the youthdon’t reach the top level but get lost in the lower categories. What are themain reasons for this trend? Is it a matter of physical conditions or technical skills? I could bet clearly on players who, for one reason or another, wouldn’t achieve the target to play in Serie A, while for others that I had doubts about their potential, they easily achieved to play in Serie A. A big passion for football is crucial; meeting the right coach is important, and players should never give up. In specific moments of the career, particularly in the first seasons, there are difficult moments, and you need to keep going without giving up. From 16 to 18 years is the most important and difficult moment for development. You have three national appearances. In one, you played around 20 or 25 minuteswith your brother. This is also a unique record, right? Yes, it was a great emotion, and it will remain with me for life. My brother and I started our football career playing inside our house. With only a 2.5-year difference, we started together and then played in all the youth categories in Piacenza. Both of us played in Serie A and then in the National Team four times. During the match Italy vs England in Turin, which ended 1-0, Trapattoni decided to let us play together for 10 minutes. Thus, for two brothers who grew up in a small village like San Nicolo, to arrive in Serie A and then play for the Italian National Team has been something incredible. One day youwere going to be the first-teamcoach of Salernitana. In the meantime, Lazio opted for Bielsa, whowas the coach for Lazio for 20minutes, right? At that point, you came back to be the coach of Lazio. Is that correct? Initially, in the first 7 games here at Lazio, I didn’t knowwhat future I could expect from this club. Clearly, it was my ambition. I always thank President Lotito and the sports director Igli Tare who gave me the opportunity to train at Lazio. In those seven games, the team played well. Then the president gave me the opportunity to go to Salerno, and I went gladly. Then Bielsa did not arrive, and at that point, the president gave me the team, and from there my coaching career began. Since I stopped playing football, I had the ambition to come back as a coach for this club. Howdo you select your staff in terms of quantity and quality? Do you delegate? Absolutely. I think it is fundamental for every coach to have trust in his staff. Beyond trust, having a good staff that supports you in all aspects is crucial. I was lucky to create my staff at the beginning of my career when I started with the youth teams. Season by season, I have looked to improve it. When I started, we were four people, and now we are seven. Inter gave me the opportunity to have seven more members, so it’s clear that when you have a staff so big in terms of number, we have to support each other, knowing that the final decision is always mine but shared with everyone.