FOCUS ON MECHANISMS, PRINCIPLES AND RECIPROCAL UNDERSTANDING – “Compared to Monday, we are three days further along in our maturation process. We have shown that regardless of the module we can play well, which was one of the goals at the beginning of the season. We want to continue playing well regardless of the module, the focus is on mechanisms, principles, mutual understanding, which are more important things than 4-4-2 or 3-5-2. We are improving and we are also doing that because we have been working together for quite some time and a stronger and stronger connection is developing between the guys.”

TOMORROW’S CHALLENGE – “We are optimistic about tomorrow. We will always have the same challenge, which is to face an opponent who will struggle to snatch at least a point and who wants to put in a solid performance. We want to be compact defensively and turn the game over well, on the offensive end we will have to be good at occupying spaces well. In the first leg we had a good performance but we could not score goals, it was not an easy game. Tomorrow it will be important to keep the balance, have possession of the ball, put pressure and be dangerous up front. We should not fear anything, we have to put on the field what we know how to do and what we have worked on during the week.”

CONCENTRATED ON THE PRESENT LOOKING TO THE FUTURE – “We are always looking to the future, but it is like when you are walking: if you look too far toward the horizon you risk tripping over the stone that is right in front of your feet. We are focused on the present, there are many challenges ahead, and the growth of young people is one of them. When they can deliver a good performance it’s up to us to give them a chance, but we can only field 11 starters and five reserves, so it’s not easy to get everyone to play.”

PAFUNDI AND PALMA – “Pafundi is growing, I like him as a boy, he is focused and attentive, we have to be patient and not lose sight of the future, but also work on the present. I am happy with his work and also Palma’s, maybe they will have opportunities. As I said, these are not easy decisions, they depend on the evolution of the individual game and these are things that my staff and I talk a lot about. We will see how the situation evolves and see if those who are playing less can get more minutes.”

ZEMURA STARTER – “Kamara gave a good performance against Lazio, however, he picked up a yellow that does not allow him to play tomorrow. Zemura will return to play from the first minute, he also made a good contribution in Rome but lost his starting spot to Kamara. I hope he will take advantage of this opportunity and then arrive with positive feelings at the national break.”

TRIDENT HYPOTHESIS – “It is possible, I cannot give you an answer now, and even if I did I would not give it to you. Wishes are one thing, and I understand the questions about it, but the reality is different. Every week I do not preclude anything, decisions are not easy; the Thauvin-Lucca pair works well, they understand each other, they have harmony, if they are well and we decide to play with two forwards they will play. Sanchez and Pafundi, however, are working well; Alexis is very important for the team, he has had his chances and will continue to have them. I hope that tomorrow we will function as a team regardless of who takes the field, that we will put the right energy and that for 90 minutes we will do everything we can to positively decide the game and play well.”

VERONA – “We know that Verona can be a very unpleasant opponent to face, we have to go to sleep tonight with positive feelings, wake up feeling even better and give a good performance in front of our fans. It is not right to talk about the opponent’s weaknesses. We have our own idea of soccer and we are focused on us regardless of the opponent. If we can have more possession, and do it with quality passes and movement without the ball, we can be a difficult opponent for anyone.”

GOAL – “The goal is to show our strengths, we want to deliver good performances consistently, and we want to do that again tomorrow by running, committing and winning duels. We need to focus on our performance and not on the opponent.”